The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened an investigation into Monday evening’s crash of UPS Flight 2976, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter that went down shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. The aircraft, bound for Honolulu, Hawaii, crashed around 5:15 p.m., killing all three crew members on board, according to NTSB Member Todd Inman during a press briefing.
Inman, a Kentucky native, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and the local community, calling it “a tough day for Louisville” during a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.
Initial findings indicate that the aircraft’s left engine detached from the wing during the takeoff roll, leading to a post-impact fire that spread nearly half a mile from the runway.
“We have viewed airport CCTV security coverage which shows the left engine detaching from the wing during the takeoff roll,” Inman said.
The aircraft lifted off briefly before striking structures beyond the airport perimeter. Inman confirmed that investigators have recovered both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, manufactured by L3Harris, and expect usable data once they reach NTSB laboratories in Washington, D.C.
According to Inman, about 28 investigators are on site, supported by additional personnel from NTSB headquarters. The agency has organized specialized teams to examine aircraft systems, powerplants, structures, operations, and maintenance records.
Representatives from Boeing, UPS, and relevant unions are expected to join as official parties to the investigation. Inman emphasized that the NTSB will not speculate on causes until the evidence is analyzed, adding that the agency’s mission “is not only to understand what happened, but why it happened, and recommend changes to prevent it from happening again.”
Further Wednesday updates regarding the accident can be found here
Who is Inman? No mention of this in the article.
“…NTSB member Todd Inman…”, second sentence of article.
As a retired airline Captain, Line Check Airman, Instructor Pilot, airline Flight Ops Manager, airline Tech Ops Manager, with 48+ years of flying, 25,000+ hours of flying, and Type Ratings on the B727, B737, B757, B767, B777, & EMB145, I can say that your coverage of UPS 2976 is the best and most professional I have seen since the tragedy. Thank you.
Not the first time.
American Airlines Flight 191