(LOUISVILLE, Ky.)-A fifteenth fatality has been confirmed following the November 4 UPS cargo aircraft accident at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky, state officials announced.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear shared the somber update through social media Thursday evening, confirming that Alain Rodriguez Colina succumbed to injuries from the incident. The governor asked for continued prayers and support for the affected families during this difficult time.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter was beginning its journey to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport when disaster struck. Federal safety investigators reported that the aircraft’s port-side engine and mounting structure detached from the wing during the takeoff phase, igniting and passing over the aircraft’s body before striking the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s initial findings indicated that flames erupted where the engine mount connected to the wing, persisting until the aircraft made ground contact.
The cargo jet climbed to approximately 30 feet before descending in flames, striking a storage facility and two structures, safety officials determined.
Post-accident examination revealed that the port engine mounting bracket exhibited signs of metal fatigue and structural failure from excessive stress, investigators noted.
The accident claimed the lives of the three flight crew members aboard, plus eleven individuals on the ground. Another 23 ground personnel sustained injuries, according to federal investigators.
Aviation regulators issued a temporary operational suspension for all MD-11 aircraft pending safety inspections. Approximately 70 of these aircraft remain in commercial service with cargo carriers including UPS, FedEx, and Western Global, based on manufacturer Boeing’s records.
Louisville’s mayor, Craig Greenberg, also acknowledged Colina’s passing on social media Christmas Day, noting that he had been fighting for survival since sustaining critical injuries more than seven weeks earlier in the November 4 accident.
This tragedy represents one of the most catastrophic aviation incidents in the United States this year.
Flight 2976 went down shortly after departure from Louisville International Airport, impacting an industrial zone adjacent to the airfield.
Federal investigators’ preliminary assessment stated that the Hawaii-bound freighter’s port engine separated and caught fire moments after becoming airborne.
Flight data recordings show the aircraft achieved a maximum altitude of just 30 feet before the crash occurred.
Airport monitoring systems captured the engine and its mounting assembly breaking away from the wing as the aircraft lifted off, with flames erupting from the detached engine, safety board documentation shows.
The separated engine impacted the ground first, while fire continued burning at the wing attachment point until the aircraft collided with a storage yard and two buildings nearby, investigators reported.
Safety officials determined that the rear mounting bracket for the port-side engine assembly fractured, leading to the engine’s separation. Their examination uncovered progressive fracturing around fastener holes in the mounting structure, which eventually failed during normal operational loads.
