The total count of fatalities due to the freight aircraft which burst into flames and plummeted has now reached 13, according to recent statements.
Official's Announcement
Traveling to the Workers’ memorial service, I received word of a thirteenth victim that died as a outcome of the UPS flight 2976 crash,” stated the city mayor in a social media post. “My prayers are with the families, friends and colleagues of all who were killed in this recent disaster. We will get through this together.”
Victims Named
A statement from UPS listed the officers aboard the aircraft as Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Dana Diamond.
“Our sympathies are extended to every staff member who has been affected and all in our local region – helping you and making sure you get the attention and resources you need is our main concern,” the company’s communication read.
Probe Updates
National investigators announced that the jet’s wing ignited and an motor fell off just after departure from the aviation hub, leading to the jet to fall and erupt into a fireball.
The National Transportation Safety Board has said it is investigating the jet’s service record, that was in Texas for maintenance several weeks before the accident.
Flight tracking data showed the plane was on the ground in San Antonio, Texas from early September to last week.
“We are knowledgeable that this aircraft was located in the facility,” stated an investigator on the following day, without a specific time frame. “We will look at every piece of maintenance that was done, even the Texas visit, straight to the day of the trip.”
Recovery of Key Components
The cockpit voice recorder and information unit were found, and the motor was located on the runway.
The units – called flight recorders – were built to endure accident forces and intense fire from infernos, and they seemed to be undamaged when found amid the crash debris. Investigators plan on examining data from the devices.
Aircraft’s concluding flight details showed an altitude of 475 feet and a velocity of 210 miles per hour prior to the accident.
Repair History
Per Federal Aviation Administration files dated 18 September, a fissure on a part in the center wing fuel tank needed fixes.
Singapore-based ST Engineering, which said it supplies structural repairs for UPS’s MD-11 and runs a repair facility in San Antonio, declined to comment, but said it would work closely when relevant authorities contacted it.
Operations Resume
In the meantime, the hub services restarted that evening with its Next Day Air or evening operation, official the company official confirmed. The three landing strips at the airport were likewise back in operation.
The sorting center in this location is the organization’s most significant. The center hires more than 20,000 workers in the region, handles numerous trips each day and processes in excess of 400,000 packages per hour.
Community Response
A candlelight vigil was conducted on the evening of that date by the local Teamsters Union, which supports workers at the aviation hub, the company’s largest air cargo hub.
The union chapter, which supports employees, started the vigil with a quiet tribute at the evening hour, the approximate hour of the accident two days earlier.
“This tragedy was so unexpected, so unexpected,” the official spoke to the crowd of two hundred. “No one had a opportunity to part to each of those who we have said farewell to.”
