U.S. investigators have recovered the black box recorders from the wreckage of a UPS cargo plane that crashed in flames on takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky. At least twelve people died. The crash sent a wall of fire into an industrial corridor and forced the shutdown of the airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board said a plume of fire erupted around the aircraft’s left wing as the MD eleven freighter accelerated down the runway. One of its three engines detached. The thirty four year old jet had three crew members on board and was bound for Honolulu. It crashed after clearing a fence at the end of the runway on Tuesday evening.
The aircraft was engulfed immediately. Fires spread through nearby buildings and ignited a petroleum recycling facility that later exploded. The debris field stretched for about half a mile. The blaze forced the airport to close for the night and disrupted operations at the UPS Worldport hub, slowing parcel deliveries.
Investigators said the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder appeared intact. They were built to survive crash impacts and extreme heat. Officials expect a full readout once the devices reach the NTSB laboratory in Washington. Preliminary findings are usually released within thirty days. Final conclusions take much longer.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency to speed the arrival of resources. Nine people were confirmed dead on the ground. Three crew members also died. The mayor of Louisville said several people remained unaccounted for as recovery teams searched through the wreckage. Eleven people on the ground were injured on Tuesday, some critically. It was unclear whether any were later counted among the dead.
Around two hundred firefighters and emergency crews battled the fires with fifty trucks. A nearby convention centre, a restaurant and a Ford plant escaped the blaze. The Independent Pilots Association said all three pilots on the aircraft were on duty. The union is taking part in the investigation.
The airport reopened early on Wednesday. The affected runway will stay closed for ten days. UPS said it resumed operations at its Worldport hub on Wednesday evening and aimed to restore normal schedules by Thursday morning.
The NTSB said there was no sign the crash was linked to the recent government shutdown that strained air traffic control. The airport tower was reported to have had its full team on duty. Production of MD eleven aircraft ended in 2000. About fifty remain in cargo service worldwide with UPS and FedEx.
Boeing and GE Aerospace said they were supporting the investigation. Aviation safety specialists said the inquiry will focus on the engine that caught fire and separated from the aircraft. Experts said the plane can operate after losing one engine, but the sequence of failures must be examined.
The aircraft was fully fuelled for its eight and a half hour flight to Honolulu. It was the first crash of a UPS cargo plane since 2013, when an Airbus freighter went down during an approach in Alabama, killing both pilots.
The global recall of Airbus A320 aircraft has triggered widespread disruption across several major airlines, forcing flight cancellations in the Unite...
U.S. investigators have recovered the black box recorders from the wreckage of a UPS cargo plane that crashed in flames on takeoff in Louisville, Kent...
Pope Leo visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday, stepping inside one of the most iconic sites of the Muslim world. He removed his shoes at the e...
Russian drones and missiles struck several districts of Kyiv early on Saturday, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen. Fires swept through...
Shoppers packed malls and downtown streets in Caracas on Black Friday (28 November) as retailers offered discounts despite Venezuela’s prolonged eco...
The global recall of Airbus A320 aircraft has triggered widespread disruption across several major airlines, forcing flight cancellations in the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Pope Leo visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday, stepping inside one of the most iconic sites of the Muslim world. He removed his shoes at the entrance in a gesture of respect. He did not appear to pray.
Russian drones and missiles struck several districts of Kyiv early on Saturday, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen. Fires swept through residential blocks as debris rained over the city.
Shoppers packed malls and downtown streets in Caracas on Black Friday (28 November) as retailers offered discounts despite Venezuela’s prolonged economic crisis. Customers queued in shoe and electronics stores and browsed signs advertising cuts of up to 50%.
At least 47 people have died and another 21 are reported missing following ten days of heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides across Sri Lanka, local media reported on Thursday (27 November).
Hong Kong fire authorities said they expected to wrap up search and rescue operations on Friday after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex, killing at least 128 people, injuring 79 and leaving around 200 still missing.
Netflix crashed on Wednesday for about an hour in the U.S. as it launched season five of "Stranger Things", with the service becoming inaccessible to many subscribers within minutes of the episodes going live at 8 p.m. local time.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the Latin American region on Thursday, amid a military buildup by President Donald Trump’s administration that has heightened tensions with Venezuela.
French health experts are warning that the highly pathogenic H5 strain of bird flu, already devastating wild and farm animals, could evolve into a virus capable of human-to-human transmission — potentially sparking a pandemic worse than COVID-19.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said on Friday that the group retains the right to respond to Israel’s killing of its top military commander, leaving open the possibility of a new conflict with the country.
Asaad al-Shaibani calls Israel's attack on Beit Jinn 'treacherous assault’ on civilians that threatens regional peace and security.
At least 13 people — including women and children — were killed, and many others wounded early Friday in an Israeli attack on the town of Beit Jinn and the road to Mazraat Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside, according to Syrian media and local sources.
The 12th meeting of the State Commission on the delimitation of the Azerbaijan–Armenia border, along with the corresponding Armenian commission on border delimitation and security, took place on 28 November in Gabala, Azerbaijan.
Two major protest marches are set to take place in the capital this evening, marking one year since the political controversy surrounding Georgia’s stalled EU membership negotiations.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment