The total count of victims resulting from the transport jet which burst into flames and plummeted has now climbed to 13, according to recent reports.
City Leader's Remarks
Traveling to the Workers’ vigil, I learned of a additional fatality that died as a consequence of the UPS flight 2976 accident,” stated the local official in a online message. “My thoughts are with the families, friends and co-workers of all who were killed in this week’s tragedy. We will endure this collectively.”
Casualties Confirmed
A release from the company identified the pilots aboard the jet as Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and Relief Captain Dana Diamond.
“Our thoughts reach out to every employee who has been touched and everyone in our local region – assisting you and making sure you get the attention and aid you need is our priority,” the company’s communication stated.
Investigation Findings
Government investigators disclosed that the freight aircraft’s wing burst into flames and an motor separated shortly after takeoff from the airfield, leading to the aircraft to crash and erupt into a inferno.
The safety agency has said it is probing the plane’s service record, which was in Texas for fixes weeks ahead of the accident.
Flight tracking records indicated the plane was on the ground in San Antonio, Texas from early September to last week.
“We are aware that this plane was there in the facility,” remarked an NTSB member on Thursday, not giving a precise time frame. “We will look at each aspect of repairs that was performed, from the repair period, all the way to the time of the flight.”
Retrieval of Key Components
The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were retrieved, and the motor was located on the runway.
The recorders – called flight recorders – were designed to withstand accident forces and severe heat from infernos, and they appeared to be intact when located among the wreckage. Investigators intend to examining data from the black boxes.
The plane’s last recorded information displayed an elevation of 475 feet and a velocity of 210 miles per hour ahead of the accident.
Maintenance History
Per Federal Aviation Administration records from 18 September, a fracture on a structural piece within the tank area demanded repairs.
Headquartered in Singapore ST Engineering, which said it provides structural repairs for UPS’s MD-11 and operates a maintenance center in San Antonio, chose not to comment, but expressed it would assist completely when officials approached it.
Operations Resume
At the same time, UPS Worldport activities resumed Wednesday night with its overnight also known as night sort operation, representative Jim Mayer said. Each of the three tarmacs at the airport were likewise reopened.
The UPS package handling facility in the city is the firm’s most significant. The center engages more than twenty thousand individuals in the area, processes three hundred flights daily and processes in excess of four hundred thousand items an hour.
Public Support
A candlelight vigil was conducted on the night of 6 November by the area labor union, which represents staff at the aviation hub, the organization’s largest air cargo hub.
The union chapter, which stands for employees, commenced the memorial with a period of reflection at 5.14pm, the approximate hour of the accident before.
“This incident was so sudden, so unforeseen,” the leader told the assembly of 200. “No one had a chance to bid farewell to each of those who we have lost.”
