Kentucky officials on Wednesday named the 14 victims who died in the UPS cargo plane crash last week.
Officials named the victims at a press conference and said they do not believe any other people died in the crash just outside of the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
« Our city feels the full weight of this unimaginable tragedy, » Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said. « Behind every one of these names is a circle of family, friends, stories that will forever be unfinished. »
UPS had already identified the three crew members — all of whom were pilots — who were on the plane: Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond.
The crash occurred on Nov. 4 after the left engine of plane caught fire during takeoff and immediately detached, according to officials. The plane was set to fly to Honolulu.
Video of the crash posted on social media appears to show the aircraft ablaze in the moments before it crashed into an industrial area just south of the airport, obliterating a series of buildings. The plane had around 38,000 gallons of fuel on board, according to officials. Satellite images show the debris field from the explosion extending more than a half-mile.
UPS and FedEx grounded their fleets of the plane’s model, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, in the days following the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration also called for an inspection of all such aircraft.
The crash occurred in the middle of the longest government shutdown in the nation’s history. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shot down concerns that the crash was related to the shutdown.
UPS is the largest employer in Louisville, with the company employing more than 25,000 of its employees based in the area. The company’s website sites Louisville airport as « the centerpiece of the company’s global air network, » with roughly 400 of its flights arriving and departing the airport each day.
The last time a UPS plane crashed was in 2013 near Birmingham, Alabama, killing two pilots.
