WATCH: Footage Shows Engine Fly Off UPS Plane Before Crash Killed 15
A video released by authorities on Tuesday shows the left engine of a UPS cargo plane burst off the aircraft in a bright flash as it attempted to take off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport last November.
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The newly released footage came as the National Transportation Safety Board started a two-day hearing into the crash, which killed three people on board and 12 people on the ground and injured another 23. Airport surveillance video shows the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo plane’s left engine and pylon separating from the wing after the aircraft lifts off the runway during takeoff.
BREAKING: The NTSB has released new CCTV footage of UPS Flight 2976, showing the moment the left engine and its pylon detached from the wing during takeoff from Louisville. https://t.co/kNc0toEslz pic.twitter.com/oBIeb6zXAR
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The plane, which was destined for Honolulu, climbed only about 30 feet off the ground before plunging and slamming into a scrap metal recycling center in a massive fireball. It was carrying more than 50,000 gallons of fuel, which caused secondary explosions after impact.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the NTSB released animations showing how fatigue cracks in the pylon connecting the engine to the wing led to a complete fracture, causing the engine to separate from the plane.
Federal investigators are now examining reporting systems put in place by UPS and Boeing to flag mechanical issues.
When asked about procedures followed when problems are discovered, UPS Airlines Director of Engineering and Technical Operations David Springer told the NTSB, “It has to be addressed, per the manual or other engineer document. It has to be closed before that aircraft would be considered airworthy.”
Among those killed in the November crash were 47-year-old Louisnes Fedon and his 3-year-old granddaughter, Kimberly Asa. The other victims were identified as Capt. Dana Diamond, 62, Capt. Richard Wartenberg, 57, First Officer Lee Truitt, 45, Angela Anderson, 45, Carlos Fernandez, 52, Trinadette “Trina” Chavez, 37, Tony Crain, 65, John Loucks, 52, John Spray, 45, Matthew Sweets, 37, Ella Petty Whorton, 31, Megan Washburn, 35. The 15th victim, Alain Rodriguez Colina, 50, died on Christmas Day, weeks after the crash, after battling severe injuries.
The NTSB hearing is expected to focus on “fleet safety processes” on Tuesday, then turn to pylon safety requirements on Wednesday.
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I am just an average American. My teen years were in the late 70s and I participated in all that that decade offered. Started working young, too young. Then I joined the Army before I graduated High School. I spent 25 years in, mostly in Infantry units. Since then I've worked in information technology positions all at small family owned companies. At this rate I'll never be a tech millionaire. When I was young I rode horses as much as I could. I do believe I should have been a cowboy. I'm getting in the saddle again by taking riding lessons and see where it goes.
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