Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in the U.S. state after the fiery crash of a UPS (UPS.N), opens new tab cargo plane in Louisville killed at least nine people, destroyed two businesses and delayed the delivery giant's operations.
Beshear told reporters he expects the death toll would grow by at least one following the Tuesday crash, which hit a nearby industrial area, including a petroleum recycling company.
Beshear said declaring a state of emergency would help with the state’s massive response to the crash site, allowing "us to move resources more quickly."
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have scheduled a press conference on Wednesday for 3 p.m. ET as they undertake the process of finding out what went wrong when the 34-year-old MD-11 cargo plane caught fire around 5:13 p.m. ET.
The plane had a crew of three according to UPS (UPS.N), opens new tab and officials said none of the crew survived.
Flight delayed after plane crash photos are sent to the phones of passengers
About 200 firefighters and emergency personnel and 50 trucks were called on Tuesday to battle the blaze which filled the evening sky with thick, black smoke. Still, Beshear said a nearby convention center, restaurant and Ford Motor Co (F.N), opens new tab plant escaped the blaze.
“It’s hard to lose nine plus people and consider yourself lucky," Beshear said. "And I don’t think we’re lucky but it could have been much worse."
Officials said 11 victims were taken to hospitals on Tuesday while a government official told Reuters at least 10 others remain unaccounted for. Beshear said two people remain in critical condition.
The international airport in Louisville reopened to air traffic early on Wednesday, although the runway where the accident happened is expected to remain closed for another 10 days, officials said.
UPS said it halted package sorting operations at its airport facility on Tuesday and then canceled a parcel sorting shift on Wednesday that usually begins in the midmorning.
U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said on Wednesday he has not seen any evidence of a link between the accident and a 36-day U.S. government shutdown that has strained air traffic control.
Production of the MD-11 plane ended in 2000 and passenger service officially ended in 2014. For cargo operations, there are about 50 MD-11 planes being operated by FedEx (FDX.N), opens new tab and UPS worldwide, with about two other planes of that type still operating.
GE Aerospace, which produces the engines for the plane, said it offered its support to UPS and to the NTSB.
Brickhouse said investigators are expected to focus on the number-one engine which was seen on video to be ignited, and appeared to have separated from the aircraft. "It is designed to fly if you lose one engine, but we need to see the effect of losing that engine on the rest of the aircraft,” Brickhouse said.
The triple-engine plane was fueled for an 8-1/2 hour flight to Honolulu.
At least 68 dead after 72-seater passenger plane crash lands near Nepal airport
It was the first UPS cargo plane to crash since August 2013, when an Airbus aircraft went down on a landing approach to the international airport in Birmingham, Alabama, killing both crew.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
