UPS accident, death toll rises to 12, nine missing
The cargo plane spent six weeks on the ground before the accident. Investigations are also focusing on possible maintenance problems with the aircraft
by Mara Monti
The UPS cargo plane that crashed and exploded Tuesday at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing 12 people, reportedly spent more than six weeks on the ground in San Antonio before the crash, from 3 September to 18 October, according to flight tracking data. On board were three crew members, all of whom are deceased,
Federal investigators from the National Transportation Security Board (NTSB), the US flight safety agency, are now examining the aircraft's maintenance records to determine whether mechanical problems may have contributed to the crash. "We know that this aircraft was located in San Antonio," said Todd Inman, of the NTSB, without providing a specific time frame. "We will be reviewing any maintenance performed, including maintenance performed in San Antonio, up to the date of the flight.
According to Federal Aviation Administration records dated 18 September, a crack on a structural element inside the wing's central tank reportedly required repair. There is currently no evidence whether poor maintenance caused the Honolulu-bound freighter to crash. Meanwhile, the aircraft's two 'black boxes', the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, have been recovered, and transcripts of cockpit conversations are being made.
More bodies are being searched in the rubble of the accident: in addition to the 12 people recovered lifeless, there are reportedly another nine people missing.
Regarding the dynamics of the accident, what is known is that the aircraft took off two hours late due to a service on the General Electric GE CF6 engine, and during take-off the tanks were full of fuel (38 thousand gallons). The General Electric GE CF6 No. 1 engine, the one on the left, separated from the left wing and after reaching a maximum height of 53 metres, passing just above the debris-damaged UPS Worldport, it began to lose altitude. After impacting the left wing, the aircraft hit the surrounding businesses, turning into a fireball.
