LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A UPS cargo plane was nearly airborne when a bell sounded in the cockpit. For the next 25 seconds, the bell rang as pilots fought to regain control of the aircraft, which had barely lifted off the runway, its left wing ablaze and missing an engine, before plowing into the ground in a spectacular fireball.
On Tuesday, the tragic crash at UPS Worldport, the company's global aviation hub in Louisville, Kentucky, resulted in the deaths of 14 people, including three pilots aboard the MD-11 that was en route to Honolulu. The National Transportation Safety Board's Todd Inman reported that the cockpit voice recorder captured the bell that indicated an emergency about 37 seconds after the crew initiated takeoff thrust.
Investigators are yet to determine why the alarm sounded, with indications suggesting an engine fire was occurring at the time of takeoff. A former federal crash investigator, Jeff Guzzetti, mentioned that the crew likely passed their critical decision speed, where they could have aborted the takeoff safely. The NTSB plans to assess video footage and gather evidence from various sources including security cameras to form a clearer picture of the incident.
Delivery Operations Resume
Despite the tragedy, operations at UPS Worldport resumed on Wednesday night, although litigation processes began swiftly afterwards. A lawsuit was filed against UPS by a local automotive shop that suffered property damage as well as by a resident who required medical attention after inhaling smoke from the crash debris.
The culpability over the incident has been extended to the manufacturer of the plane and its engine in claims that allege negligence and failure to prevent unreasonable harm. The investigation remains open, and details of the cockpit recordings will not be available for months as the pertinent data is compiled for review.
