Posted on 11/06/2025 5:19:19 PM PST by fidelis
At least 13 people were killed after a UPS cargo plane crashed after departing Louisville's international airport Tuesday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — UPS has shared the names of those onboard the plane that crashed in Louisville late Tuesday.
Search and recovery operations continued Thursday as first responders and federal aviation investigators sift through the half-a-mile wide debris field.
At least 13 people died in the crash, including a young child, according to officials. Mayor Craig Greenberg said nine people are still missing.
In a statement, UPS identified the crew onboard as Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond.
"Our hearts go out to every UPSer who has been impacted and all in our Louisville community – supporting you and ensuring you receive the care and resources you need is our priority," UPS Executive Vice President Nando Cesarone said.
Anyone still looking for a loved one related to the plane crash is urged to call 1-800-631-0604.
On Thursday, Teamsters Local 89 shared there would be a community vigil honoring those impacted by the tragedy. The entire community is welcome to attend.
That explosion was intense.
DEI is the most dangerous policy in aviation history.
It was mechanical failure. The pilots were unfortunately victims of this failure. Was maintenance a DEI issue? Why knows.
Who knows?
When they figure out the cause, I’d like to know.
“ DEI is the most dangerous policy in aviation history.”
Possibly so, but not relevant in this case.
Since you know details not released to the public, would you care to share them? Who were the maintenance workers who worked on the engine and signed off of the work?
Were they DEI?
Check the thread on pprune.org (aviation forum) and you’ll get a wealth of inside knowledge about what may have happened. I am not qualified to assess the drift of this thread but I see a lot of discussion of faulty maintenance as the most likely cause. There was nothing those three pilots could have done, as they accelerated to take off, an engine fell off (as they are designed to do) and spewed both hot fuel and parts into other vulnerable areas, the back engine (this type has two wing engines and a rear engine) partially failed, so they were trying to take off with fire on a wing and one full engine, the rest of the wing sheared off and fell into a nearby building, and they had no control over a non-lifting aircraft. In a different place this could have killed hundreds of people on the ground (I believe the collateral damage death toll is around ten or more). Part of the debris impacted a fuel storage dump (recycling of fuel) and pilots pointed out that this was not a good planning decision to have such facilities near the center line of a nearby busy airport.
Some who knew the pilots personally described them as very competent, but frustrated by schedule and maintenance issues at UPS. I am just reporting what I read, and want to add the disclaimer that I personally have no inside knowledge about this situation.
“ When they figure out the cause, I’d like to know.”
Just watch Quest channel and aviation disasters. Same thing happened at Chicago in the late 70’s. Engine departed from airplane and it rolled over and crashed.
“ Who were the maintenance workers ”
You tell me, since you blamed DEI you appear to have the inside information.
DEI is risky everywhere, but in the aviation and health fields, it’s particularly dangerous.
Don’t believe everything you see on discussion forums by people claiming to know. The engine wasn’t designed to fall off.
I didn’t mean for that to sound like a rude comment. I’m just weighing in.
The pilots had nothing to do with the crash. Once the engine broke away they were mere passengers.
As regards engine pylon shear pins:
“In airplanes, in the framing connecting an engine to the wing from which it is suspended, hollow fuse pins may be incorporated. These allow the engine to separate from the wing under extreme loading events that otherwise might cause the wing’s fuel tanks to rupture.”
CC
I hope that falsehood is based in you confusing me with another poster, rather than made out of malice.
In addition to the post that you just responded to, here's my other post on the crash from earlier:
"Don’t forget the Amazon plane that fell out of the sky near Houston. Boeing 767.On approach to the airport, the co-pilot went to full power and then dived it into the bay."
And here is the text of my linked post:
"Since you know details not released to the public, would you care to share them? Who were the maintenance workers who worked on the engine and signed off of the work?"
Are you contending that my recitation of the copilot's action in the Atlas/Amazon crash was a commentary on DEI? Big reach to get there.
Lee Truitt was an Albuquerque resident and had roots in local aviation.
RIP, all.
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