A legal firm said today that it has been retained by the family of a victim of the Nov. 4 crash of a UPS MD-11 cargo jet near Louisville, Kentucky. According to the National Traffic Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report, released Thursday, the aircraft went down shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport after an engine detatched from a wing. All three crew members and 11 people on the ground were killed.
The firm, Chicago-based Clifford Law Offices, said it has engaged aviation experts to review the early findings, as well as to conduct its own independent review of the accident. The firm’s founder, Robert A. Clifford, said he believes the accident could have been prevented.
“Already we have aviation experts examining the crash, and given the early information, it appears to be clear that this crash was completely avoidable,” Clifford said.
Although it has released its preliminary report, the NTSB has not yet issued any conclusions.
A UPS spokesperson told AVweb that the company will not speculate or comment on causes behind the accident, but offered further condolences for those affected by the crash.
“We continue to grieve for the lives lost in the tragic accident involving Flight 2976. Before the FAA issued its Emergency Airworthiness Directive for all MD-11 operators, UPS proactively grounded its MD-11 fleet out of an abundance of caution,” the spokesperson said. “We appreciate the National Transportation Safety Board’s prompt release of preliminary findings and will fully support the investigation through its conclusion.”
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all MD-11 aircraft on Nov. 8, stating the unsafe condition identified “is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design.” It further went on to ground DC-10 and MD-10 aircraft due to similar risks that could exist for those aircraft as well.
UPS grounded its MD-11 fleet before the FAA’s directive “out of an abundance of caution.”
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