Warning Sound Recorded for 25 Seconds in Cockpit of UPS Plane Crash in Louisville
Warning Sound Recorded for 25 Seconds in Cockpit of UPS Plane Crash in Louisville
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that the black box from the UPS cargo plane that crashed in Louisville on Tuesday recorded a repeating warning chime for the final 25 seconds before the aircraft hit the ground.
At a press briefing on Friday, NTSB official Todd Inman said UPS Flight 2976 took off normally, but about 37 seconds after liftoff, the cockpit voice recorder captured a continuous alarm sound. Investigations revealed that the sound persisted until the moment of impact.
Inman noted that the pilots tried to regain control of the aircraft during that time, but the left wing caught fire, and the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 crashed around 5:15 p.m. near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. The plane, which was preparing for a fuel-laden trip to Honolulu, had three pilots on board. UPS identified the victims as Captain Richard Warternberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Captain Dana Diamond.
Officials reported that 13 people were killed at the crash site, and identification efforts are still ongoing. The aircraft had spent about a month in San Antonio in September for maintenance, during which repairs were made to the fuel tank and cargo section. The NTSB said there is currently no evidence linking the crash to maintenance issues.
Technical investigations and black box analyses are expected to be completed in the coming months.
