The death toll in the UPS cargo plane crash at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Nov. 4 has risen to 15 people.
The update was confirmed on Christmas Day by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.
“Alain is the 15th victim of the UPS Flight 2976 accident. He suffered severe injuries at the time of the crash and passed earlier this Christmas Day. May Alain’s memory be a blessing.”
Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) shared his condolences.
The crash happened after UPS Flight 2976’s left engine and pylon separated from the wing shortly after takeoff, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released on Nov. 20.
NTSB investigators said the cargo flight, with three crew members on board, went down shortly after it cleared a fence at the end of the runway and crashed into Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and Grade A Auto Parts, private businesses located just off the airport’s property.
UPS confirmed Capt. Dana Diamond, 62, Capt. Richard Wartenberg, 57, and First Officer Lee Truitt, 45, all died in the crash.
The youngest of the 12 victims on the ground was identified as a 3-year-old who was shopping with her grandmother at a business nearby, according to Jefferson County Coroner Jo-Ann Farmer.
Nearly two dozen others were injured in the crash, which left a half-mile-long debris field.
“We continue to grieve for the lives lost in the tragic accident involving Flight 2976,” UPS wrote in a statement following the NTSB’s preliminary report.
The global shipping company is the largest employer in Louisville and home to the world’s largest UPS shipping site, which employs 20,000 people and has 300 daily flights.
The MD-11 plane, which was the model that crashed, was first grounded by UPS ahead of the FAA’s order.
“MD-11s are approximately 9 percent of the UPS Airlines fleet,” the company said.
