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The number of victims due to the freight aircraft which burst into flames and went down has now reached 13, according to latest announcements.

Official's Statement

While en route to the Teamsters’ candlelight gathering, I learned of a additional fatality that passed away as a result of the plane crash,” stated the city mayor in a social media post. “My thoughts is with the families, associates and colleagues of all who were taken in this recent calamity. We will endure this collectively.”

Victims Named

A statement from the carrier listed the pilots aboard the aircraft as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Dana Diamond.

“Our sympathies are extended to every UPSer who has been touched and everyone in our local region – assisting you and guaranteeing you get the support and resources you need is our main concern,” the company’s statement expressed.

Investigation Findings

Government officials revealed that the UPS cargo plane’s left wing caught fire and an motor separated just after departure from the airfield, causing the jet to fall and erupt into a fireball.

The National Transportation Safety Board has said it is investigating the aircraft’s upkeep logs, which was in the state for fixes several weeks prior to the crash.

Aircraft information showed the jet was on the ground in that location from early September to last week.

“We are cognizant that this aircraft was there in that city,” stated an official on the following day, without providing a precise time frame. “We will look at each aspect of repairs that was performed, including the Texas visit, right up to the date of the trip.”

Recovery of Critical Items

The cockpit voice recorder and data recorder were retrieved, and the power plant was found on the runway.

The recorders – referred to as data containers – were constructed to endure accident forces and severe fire from infernos, and they looked to be intact when discovered amid the crash debris. Authorities intend to examining information from the black boxes.

Aircraft’s concluding recorded information indicated an elevation of 475 feet and a velocity of 210 mph before the accident.

Service Background

Based on FAA records from 18 September, a fracture on a component within the fuel container needed fixes.

Singapore-based ST Engineering, which indicated it offers airframe maintenance for UPS’s MD-11 and manages a service location in San Antonio, declined to comment, but expressed it would cooperate fully when relevant authorities approached it.

Activities Continue

At the same time, the facility operations resumed Wednesday night with its overnight or nighttime procedure, spokesperson Jim Mayer stated. All three tarmacs at the aviation hub were likewise reopened.

The UPS package handling facility in the city is the firm’s biggest. The hub hires more than a large number of individuals in the area, handles 300 aircraft each day and processes more than four hundred thousand items each hour.

Public Support

A memorial was held on the late afternoon of 6 November by the area labor union, which acts for staff at the airfield, the firm’s primary air cargo hub.

Teamsters Local 89, which supports staff, started the gathering with a quiet tribute at 5.14pm, the rough hour of the crash two days earlier.

“This event was so unexpected, so surprising,” the mayor addressed the group of 200. “No one had a opportunity to say goodbye to any one of those who we have mourned.”