NEWLY released pictures capture the devastating moment a UPS cargo plane’s wing ignited during takeoff, sparking a disastrous accident that left 14 people dead.
Three crew members and 11 people on the ground were killed after the doomed plane took off at Louisville International Airport in Kentucky on November 4.
On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board published a preliminary report that gave new insights into the UPS Boeing MD-11F crash.
Officials determined that the left pylon, the structure that carries the engine, on the 34-year-old craft had “fatigue cracks” and suffered “overstress failure.”
Bone-chilling surveillance images captured the left engine and pylon separating from the wing as the plane lifted from the ground.
The craft burst into flames, lifted 30 feet in the air, and barely cleared the fence at the end of the runway before clipping the roof of a UPS Supply Chain Solutions 3,000 feet away, altitude data shows.
It then crashed into a storage yard and two other buildings, including a petroleum-recycling facility.
The facility was completely reduced to rubble by the flames.
Investigators recovered the plane parts and found cracks in the lugs holding the left pylon to the engine.
The well-traveled plane had racked up 93,000 hours of flight time and 21,043 cycles at the time of the wreck, the NTSB said.
Maintenance activity testing the lubrication of the pylon thrust links and bearing was last conducted on October 18, but the craft wasn’t due for a “special detailed inspection” until it hit 29,200 cycles.
The NTSB has yet to conclude whether the flaws found in the plane parts contributed to or caused the crash.
MD-11, MD-10, and DC-10 plans have all been ordered not to fly until the investigation is completed, the Federal Aviation Administration determined.
According to aviation officials, the aircraft have similar unsafe conditions like “loss of continued safe flight and landing.”
VICTIMS MOURNED
A three-year-old girl, a mom of two, and three pilots were among the 14 victims killed in the devastating crash.
Twenty-three people also suffered injuries from the fireball explosion caused in part by the more than 38,000 gallons of fuel inside the craft.
Craig Greenberg, the mayor of Louisville, said the entire city “feels the whole weight of this unimaginable tragedy.”
He said that UPS was in contact with the families of the victims to provide support.
In a statement, UPS said, “Words can’t express the sorrow we feel over the heartbreaking Flight 2976 accident.
“This continues to be an incredibly sad time for our entire UPS family, and as our CEO, Carol Tomé reminded us: ‘United, we are strong.’”
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15522960/cargo-plane-engine-fireball-crash-louisville/
