Shortly after it took off on Tuesday, a UPS freight plane fatally crashed near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. It left a fiery trail of destruction through businesses and roads that investigators are now sifting through as they work to uncover the cause of the crash.
Increasing casualties: The death toll reached 12 by Wednesday evening, and officials have said they still expect that number to climb as emergency crews transition to the recovery phase of the response. None of the victims has been identified.
Ongoing investigation: An NTSB investigation team arrived in Louisville today, recovering crucial assets like the aircraft’s black boxes, which store flight data and cockpit voice recordings. The NTSB has asked the public to turn in any scrapsfound within the half-mile debris field from the crash to aid its investigation.
Flights resume: Passenger flights in and out of Louisville’s international airport have resumed, but are experiencing a significant backlog due to delays on Tuesday. UPS planes also began departing from the airport again around 24 hours after the cargo plane crashed.
Industry turbulence: Just one day after the aviation tragedy struck Louisville, the Department of Transportation announced it will reduce air traffic by 10% at 40 major airports starting Friday if no government shutdown deal is reached, citing safety concerns due to air traffic controller staffing shortages.
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Day 1 of the investigation into a fiery UPS cargo plane crash draws to a close. Here’s what we know
From CNN’s Danya Gainor
Shortly after it took off on Tuesday, a UPS freight plane fatally crashed near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. It left a fiery trail of destruction through businesses and roads that investigators are now sifting through as they work to uncover the cause of the crash.
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Here’s the latest:
Increasing casualties: The death toll reached 12 by Wednesday evening, and officials have said they still expect that number to climb as emergency crews transition to the recovery phase of the response. None of the victims has been identified.
Ongoing investigation: An NTSB investigation team arrived in Louisville today, recovering crucial assets like the aircraft’s black boxes, which store flight data and cockpit voice recordings. The NTSB has asked the public to turn in any scrapsfound within the half-mile debris field from the crash to aid its investigation.
Flights resume: Passenger flights in and out of Louisville’s international airport have resumed, but are experiencing a significant backlog due to delays on Tuesday. UPS planes also began departing from the airport again around 24 hours after the cargo plane crashed.
Industry turbulence: Just one day after the aviation tragedy struck Louisville, the Department of Transportation announced it will reduce air traffic by 10% at 40 major airports starting Friday if no government shutdown deal is reached, citing safety concerns due to air traffic controller staffing shortages.
Conditions of some victims’ bodies may make them harder to identify, Kentucky governor says
From CNN’s Karina Tsui
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear speaks about the crash of UPS flight 2976 during a press conference at Louisville Regional Airport Authority in Kentucky on Wednesday.Jon Cherry/AP
Coroners are working to identify remains found at the Louisville crash site of the UPS cargo plane, but the conditions of some victims’ bodies may make their task more difficult, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said.
“So that process is moving right now,” Beshear said at a news conference on Wednesday. “Identities of the victims will be released by the coroner.”
But because of the conditions of some remains, it “may take some testing.”
Beshear emphasized that they were trying to notify families as soon as possible.
UPS plane seen without one engine before crash
From CNN’s Amanda Jackson and Aaron Cooper
New dash camera video shows the moments before the UPS plane crashed in Louisville on Tuesday. The plane can be seen missing its left engine before it hits the ground, and a fireball erupts.
