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The number of victims from the freight aircraft which ignited and crashed has now risen to 13, according to official reports.

City Leader's Announcement

Traveling to the Union’s memorial service, I was informed of a 13th person that died as a result of the plane incident,” wrote the local official in a online message. “My heart are with the loved ones, friends and co-workers of all who were killed in this recently occurred tragedy. We will get through this collectively.”

Casualties Confirmed

An announcement from UPS named the officers on board the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, Co-pilot Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Dana Diamond.

“Our thoughts are extended to every employee who has been affected and all in our Louisville community – assisting you and making sure you obtain the care and assistance you need is our main concern,” the firm’s statement expressed.

Investigation Details

Federal authorities disclosed that the jet’s left wing caught fire and an power plant detached shortly after liftoff from the aviation hub, leading to the aircraft to fall and explode into a blaze.

The NTSB stated it is probing the jet’s upkeep logs, that was in Texas for repairs a period ahead of the incident.

Flight tracking information revealed the jet was on the runway in San Antonio, Texas from 3 September to mid-October.

“We are cognizant that this plane was located in San Antonio,” remarked an investigator on Thursday, not giving a precise period. “We will look at all elements of repairs that was performed, including the repair time, straight to the day of the trip.”

Retrieval of Critical Items

The pilot’s recorder and data recorder were found, and the motor was discovered on the airfield.

The devices – called data containers – were constructed to withstand accident forces and extreme heat from fires, and they appeared to be intact when discovered within the wreckage. Investigators plan on examining recordings from the devices.

Aircraft’s last recorded information showed an elevation of 475 ft and a speed of 210 miles per hour before the crash.

Service History

Per Federal Aviation Administration files from 18 September, a crack on a part in the center wing fuel tank needed fixes.

Singapore-based ST Engineering, which stated it offers airframe maintenance for UPS’s jet and manages a service location in Texas, chose not to comment, but expressed it would assist completely when investigators contacted it.

Services Resume

At the same time, the hub activities restarted Wednesday night with its Next Day Air or nighttime procedure, spokesperson the company official confirmed. The three tarmacs at the airport were additionally reopened.

The sorting center in this location is the organization’s biggest. The center hires in excess of a large number of workers in the locality, handles 300 flights daily and organizes in excess of four hundred thousand parcels per hour.

Community Reaction

A gathering was organized on the night of that date by the local labor union, which acts for workers at the aviation hub, the firm’s biggest air cargo hub.

The union chapter, which stands for staff, began the memorial with a period of reflection at 5.14pm, the estimated moment of the crash before.

“This tragedy was so abrupt, so unforeseen,” the mayor spoke to the crowd of two hundred. “No one had a moment to bid farewell to any of those who we have said farewell to.”