Todd Inman archive photo. Photo:DT phots1 / Shutterstock.com The investigation into the UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville has entered the fact-finding phase. NTSB Chief Todd Inman stated that a review of airport CCTV footage indicates that the left engine (Engine 1) physically separated from the wing during the takeoff run. Within minutes, flames spread over about 0.5 miles of the field.
At the same time, the investigation teams retrieved the cockpit voice receiver and the flight data recorder from the remains.
The NTSB estimates that the data will be recoverable, which will allow for investigation of the sequence of events, system alerts, and communications between crew members. According to the board's announcement, 28 NTSB investigators visited the scene yesterday, completing collection, mapping, and analysis operations.
According to the latest update, at least 12 people died in the incident, with three crew members on the plane itself.
UPS emphasized that safety is the top priority and that the company suspended package sorting operations at the Worldport center in Louisville tonight, in close cooperation with the NTSB and FAA.
These are preliminary findings that may be updated. A preliminary report is expected to be published in the coming weeks, while the final report will only arrive after the completion of the engineering tests.