The charred remnants of a UPS aircraft’s ‘black box’ were retrieved on Wednesday, as the death toll tragically rose to 12, including a young child.
In Louisville, Kentucky, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) experts arrived to investigate the cause of the catastrophic cargo plane explosion that occurred shortly after takeoff.
Amidst the expansive wreckage near Muhammad Ali International Airport, NTSB teams discovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, commonly known as the black box.
Though the devices sustained heat-related damage, NTSB representative Todd Inman expressed optimism about extracting data from them.
“We are confident that once these are analyzed in our DC laboratory, we can extract crucial data,” Inman assured the press, describing this as a vital step towards unraveling the incident’s cause.
Investigations have already revealed that one of the plane’s three engines detached from the left wing as the jet accelerated down the runway.
The plane – a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 – was carrying three crew members when it climbed 175 feet in the air.
The aircraft briefly passed clear of a fence at the end of the runway before it plunged to the ground and erupted into flames as it careened through industrial buildings.
Aerial photos from the scene show the destruction it left in its wake, leaving charred remains of the businesses it burst through.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft struck several businesses as it crashed
Aerial photos from the scene show the devastating aftermath of the crash
Federal investigators have uncovered the so-called black box of the UPS cargo plane that crashed in a fiery blaze on Tuesday
It remains unclear what may have caused the engine to fall off the 34-year-old aircraft, and Inman said the NTSB is now working ‘to understand not only what happened, but why it happened and recommend changes to prevent it from happening again.’
In the meantime, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced that authorities are moving from a rescue to recovery mission, as they do not expect to find anyone else alive.
As of Wednesday evening, the death toll from the tragedy rose to 12 ‘with several individuals still unaccounted for,’ Beshear shared on social media, adding that it is believed at least one child is among the dead.
The deaths include nine people on the ground as well as the three crew members in the cargo plane.
Fifteen others were injured in the devastating crash and were transported to local hospitals to be treated for injuries ranging from minor to severe burns, blast injuries, shrapnel injuries and smoke inhalation, WLWT reports.
Of those, 13 were discharged from the hospital and two others remained in critical condition, according to WLKY.
Meanwhile, Okolona Fire Department Chief Mike Little said his firefighters expect to remain at the scene for at least the next week looking for victims in the large debris field.
He noted that there is not much left of the plane to scrounge for.
‘For the fuselage, we’ve not seen much of it, to tell you the truth,’ Little told reporters on Wednesday, according to WDRB.
‘With the intense fire that was out there, most things are gone, including vehicles, semis and the plane.’
Little went on to say that it is a miracle the collision did not occur in a more densely populated area.
‘To be honest with you, we are lucky this is not a residential area,’ he said. ‘Thank God many of the employees had already left, being that it was after five o’clock. It could have been more catastrophic for us.’
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced that authorities are moving from a rescue to recovery mission, as they do not expect to find anyone else alive
What appears to be a plane engine is seen here lying on the runway following the crash
The plane with three people aboard crashed at around 5.15pm as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at the Louisville airport.
It was immediately engulfed in a fireball, igniting a string of blazes and scattering a debris field that stretched about a half a mile through an industrial corridor.
The plane also struck and caused smaller explosions at Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and hit an auto salvage yard, Grade A Auto Parts.
Beshear said the child who died was with a parent at the auto parts business.
Some people who heard the boom, saw the smoke and smelled burning fuel as a fire spread over several miles Tuesday night were still stunned a day later.
‘I didn´t know if we were getting attacked. I didn´t know what was going on,’ said Summer Dickerson, who works nearby.
Stooges Bar and Grill bartender Kyla Kenady said lights suddenly flickered as she took a beer to a customer on the patio.
‘I saw a plane in the sky coming down over top of our volleyball courts in flames,’ she said. ‘In that moment, I panicked. I turned around, ran through the bar screaming, telling everyone that a plane was crashing.’
Manager Lynn Cason said explosions, only about 100 yards away, shook the building three times – ‘like somebody was bombing us’ – but no one there was injured.
‘God was definitely with us,’ Cason said.
The plane with three people aboard crashed at around 5.15pm Tuesday as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at the Louisville airport
The crash and ensuing fires forced a shutdown of the airport for the night and disrupted airport-based operations at the UPS Worldport facility, the company’s global cargo hub for its air shipments worldwide, slowing delivery services.
It resumed operations on Wednesday evening, with a company spokesperson saying ‘our goal is to begin returning the network to a normal cadence with flights arriving at destinations Thursday morning.’
Still, Beshear issued a state of emergency on Wednesday aimed at hastening the flow of disaster response resources to the scene of the crash.
He also launched the Team Kentucky Emergency Relief Fund, with every dollar donated to those affected for funerals, response, recovery and rebuilding.
‘It’s going to make sure groups that are already limited in terms of their funding can get some immediate or short-term help,’ the governor said, as Louisville Metro Police warned on social media that scammers were taking advantage of the situation by contacting victims’ families and demanding ‘thousands of dollars’ for information about their whereabouts.
The crash and ensuing fires disrupted airport-based operations at the UPS Worldport facility, the company’s global cargo hub for its air shipments worldwide, slowing delivery services
It resumed operations on Wednesday evening, with a company spokesperson saying, ‘Our goal is to begin returning the network to a normal cadence with flights arriving at destinations Thursday morning’
In a statement, CEO Carol Tome said company executives are ‘deeply saddened and our hearts continue to be with all who have been impacted.
‘We will keep them in our hearts as we continue our commitment to safety, care and community,’ she said.
Tome went on to share that she is ‘incredibly grateful to our team in Louisville for their grace and professionalism.
‘We are not alone in this moment and from the notes I’ve received from around the world, I know that solidarity and empathy are powerful forces in healing. United, we are strong.’
She also asked employees to join her ‘in honoring all who have been impacted and all who responded to this tragedy.
‘Keep them in your thoughts and prayers,’ she asked.
The company has hired an environmental cleanup contractor for the area, and remains in contact with the NTSB during its investigation.
Boeing, which bought McDonnell Douglas in 1997, and GE Aerospace, which produces the engines for the plane, also said they have offered to support the investigation.
