The three flight crew who were among at least 12 people killed when a UPS cargo plane crashed at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky on Tuesday have been named.
Footage capturing the crash and National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration investigators determined that the plane’s left engine detached from the aircraft during takeoff, after which the plane crashed back into the ground, tearing a hole through the roof of a UPS warehouse before exploding in a fireball at the airport.
The airport was closed on Tuesday night, but reopened Wednesday morning while search and recovery crews combed the debris for any sign of human remains.
The plane was carrying 38,000 gallons of fuel, and hit two buildings, including a petroleum recycling facility, causing some containers filled with oil to explode at the site.
UPS identified its employees who were killed on the plane in a social media post on Thursday.
“It is with great sorrow that we share the names of the UPS pilots on board UPS Flight 2976. Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond were operating the flight,” UPS said in its statement.
The post said the company’s “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.”
While little information was immediately available about Wartenberg and Diamond, Truitt’s LinkedIn revealed that had been flying with UPS since 2021, and had previously worked as an airline captain at SkyWest Airlines and as a flight instructor in New Mexico.
The names of the other victims have not been released as of this report.
UPS reopened its Worldport facility — the company’s largest aviation hub — on Wednesday night, according to company spokesman Jim Mayer.
“Our goal is to begin returning the network to a normal cadence,” he told the Associated Press.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg visited the crash site and described the scene as “horrific,” with “charred, mangled metal” strewn about the impact area.
“You hear people say, ‘Oh, you only see that in the movies.’ This was worse than the movies,” Greenberg told reporters.
A public vigil for those killed has been planned for Thursday night by Teamsters Local 89, which represents UPS workers. Greenberg encouraged members of the public to attend the event to “share our heartbreak” and “find strength to keep moving forward.”
Investigators located the flight recorders — also known as black boxes — from the crash site. On Thursday, the NTSB announced that it was able to extract 63 hours worth of “good data points” from the box covering 24 flights made by the MD-11 aircraft, including its final flight.
