The total count of victims from the freight aircraft which caught fire and plummeted has now risen to 13, per official statements.
Official's Remarks
Traveling to the Union’s candlelight gathering, I received word of a additional fatality that passed away as a consequence of the aircraft incident,” wrote the municipal leader in a online message. “My prayers are with the loved ones, friends and co-workers of all who were lost in this week’s tragedy. We will overcome this together.”
Casualties Named
An announcement from UPS identified the officers on board the aircraft as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, Co-pilot Lee Truitt, and Relief Captain Dana Diamond.
“Our sympathies reach out to each UPSer who has been impacted and everyone in our local area – supporting you and ensuring you receive the attention and assistance you need is our priority,” the firm’s statement read.
Investigation Details
Federal authorities disclosed that the UPS cargo plane’s wing burst into flames and an motor detached soon after departure from the aviation hub, causing the plane to plummet and erupt into a blaze.
The NTSB announced it is investigating the jet’s maintenance history, that was in the state for maintenance weeks before the accident.
Aircraft data showed the plane was on the runway in San Antonio, Texas from early September to last week.
“We are knowledgeable that this aircraft was located in the facility,” said an NTSB member on later, without a exact date range. “We will look at every piece of service that was completed, even the San Antonio time, straight to the day of the flight.”
Findings of Vital Items
The audio device and information unit were found, and the motor was found on the runway.
The devices – known as data containers – were designed to withstand collision damage and intense fire from blazes, and they seemed to be undamaged when discovered within the wreckage. Investigators will reviewing recordings from the recorders.
The plane’s concluding data recordings showed an height of 475 ft and a speed of that speed prior to the impact.
Service Background
Per aviation authority files from that date, a crack on a component in the tank area demanded repairs.
Headquartered in Singapore ST Engineering, which indicated it offers airframe maintenance for UPS’s MD-11 and manages a repair facility in Texas, refused to provide remarks, but stated it would assist completely when investigators contacted it.
Operations Continue
At the same time, UPS Worldport services continued that evening with its overnight or nighttime operation, spokesperson the company official confirmed. All three runways at the airport were also open again.
The UPS package handling facility in the city is the company’s largest. The center engages in excess of twenty thousand workers in the region, manages 300 flights per day and sorts more than 400,000 parcels per hour.
Local Support
A memorial was held on the evening of 6 November by the regional labor union, which supports employees at the aviation hub, the organization’s largest freight center.
The union chapter, which represents UPS workers, began the vigil with a moment of silence at 5.14pm, the rough hour of the crash two days earlier.
“This tragedy was so abrupt, so unforeseen,” the mayor addressed the crowd of 200. “No one had a moment to bid farewell to any of those who we have mourned.”
