All 14 victims of deadly UPS plane crash identified by Louisville coroner

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- More than a week after the deadly UPS plane crash near Louisville’s airport, authorities have identified all 14 victims.

Fourteen people, including the three pilots aboard the plane, were killed when the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, built in 1991, went down around 5:15 p.m. Nov. 4 after its left wing caught fire. The plane was fully loaded with fuel for the nine-hour flight to Honolulu from UPS Worldport.

The 14 victims are:

Capt. Dana Diamond, 62
Capt. Richard Wartenberg, 57
First Officer Lee Truitt, 45
Angela Anderson, 45
Carlos Fernandez, 52
Louisnes Fedon, 47
Kimberly Asa, 3 (granddaughter of Louisnes Fedon)
Trinadette "Trina" Chavez, 37
Tony Crain, 65
John Loucks, 52
John Spray, 45
Matthew Sweets, 37
Ella Petty Whorton, 31
Megan Washburn, 35

"The Jefferson County coroner has now identified all those who tragically lost their lives in the Flight 2976 accident and has notified their families," UPS said in a statement. "We honor them and extend our deepest condolences to their loved ones at this exceedingly difficult time."

Jefferson County Coroner Jo-Ann Farmer said the victims were identified by DNA, dental records and some by medical records.

"Our city feels the whole weight of this unimaginable tragedy," Mayor Craig Greenberg said.

UPS said Wednesday that it will cover the cost of funeral expenses for the victims of the crash. According to Greenberg, UPS is in direct contact with each of the families.

"Right now, we have no reason to believe there are any other victims at the site," Greenberg said.

The bodies of the victims were removed from the wreckage site by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office to positively identify them.

Greenberg said Monday first responders were beginning to remove heavy equipment and large debris from the crash site.

While Greenberg said Saturday all reported missing victims in the crash had been found, this work will allow other first responders to continue searching for any victims that may still remain.

"We were able to line up the number of victims that had been removed from the scene with the number of missing persons reports that were taken by the Louisville Metro Police Department," Louisville EMA Director Jody Meiman said Monday.

Resources, community assistance

The city launched a new call center Tuesday to help those impacted by the deadly crash. Those needing assistance can call 502-473-5271.

The assistance line is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Sundays.

Greenberg said during a news conference Monday that the city was working to open the hotline for victims, their families and survivors to call for help and information.

The city is also planning to open a Community Resource Center, the mayor said, by the end of the week to provide on-site resources for this who need them.

Following the crash, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear reactivated the Team Kentucky Emergency Relief Fund like the one in place for previous disasters, including floods and tornadoes.

Louisville Metro Police posted a warning on social media that scammers are already taking advantage and are contacting families demanding "thousands of dollars."

Greenberg also suggested that people impacted by the crash or that may experience a mental health crisis can utilize the national 988 hotline. Greenberg said counselors are also available through the Office of Violence Prevention at 502-574-6949.

NTSB investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday the "black box" inside the UPS plane recorded a "repeating bell" sound for the final 25 seconds of Tuesday's flight.

Todd Inman, a member of the NTSB, said in a news conference Friday that the takeoff roll was uneventful for UPS Flight 2976 as the pilots went through their speed callouts. About 37 seconds after they called for takeoff thrust, Inman said the Cockpit Voice Recorder picked up the bell sound, which continued until the end of the recording, which he said they believe was the moment of impact with the ground south of the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

Inman said the pilots "engaged in effort to control the aircraft" during those final 25 seconds.

The full CRV audio won't be released by the NTSB, which is standard protocol. But Inman said a CVR group, made up of technical experts on the MD-11, will convene at NTSB headquarters and produce a written transcript of pertinent information. However, Inman said in may be "several months" before that's released.

Flight records suggest the 34-year-old plane underwent maintenance while it was on the ground in San Antonio for more than a month, from September through mid-October, which Inman confirmed Thursday.

Three different reports were filed in early September. One shows the "center wing upper fuel tank" had a crack in it and needed a permanent repair. The other two reports reveal corrosion in the plane's center cargo area.

Inman said Thursday that, while the flight Tuesday was delayed two hours, there's currently no evidence that a maintenance issue played a role prior to takeoff.

On Friday, he said the work in San Antonio could be classified as a "heavy check," adding that they've dispatched additional people to retrieve extensive records from the repairs.

Thursday, Inman said the CRV showed the plane was going 210 miles per hour at 100 feet of altitude at the last reading retrieved from the crash debris.

Federal aviation officials issued an order Saturday for McDonnell Douglas MD-11 planes not to be flown pending further inspection.

Environmental impact

Crews with the Metropolitan Sewer District helped stop 30,000 gallons of oil from getting into Louisville's waterways after the crash.

Greenberg said Monday that some areas of the site near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport had 3 or more feet of standing oil after the crash.

"MSD has been coordinating the cleanup here," the mayor said during a news conference at Metro Hall Monday afternoon. "They have helped stopped 30,000 gallons of oil from going into our groundwater. They and their entire team should be commended for the early action and continued work that they've done throughout this process to protect our waterways, to protect our ground from further contamination from all of the gas and the oil."

The mayor said "early action prevented an even worse catastrophe from happening," specifically early action by MSD to limit the spread of runoff from the crash site.

Tony Parrott, executive director of MSD, said the agency's Environmental Response Team responded and was ready to mobilize within 90 minutes of the Nov. 4 crash.

MSD's Industrial Waste Division, Parrott said, immediately began monitoring nearby waterways for potential contamination and runoff from the crash and subsequent explosion, and implement any mitigation efforts needed.

Because of the quick response, Parrott said crews were able to place "floating booms" to absorb oil in nearby waterways such as the Northern Ditch, which is off National Turnpike.

When assessing the scene early Wednesday, the morning after the crash, Parrott said crews found a drainage basin near the scene that had been impacted by runoff from the crash site.

Parrott said runoff is primarily located "in the Pond Creek watershed," and interconnected waterways eventually drain down to the Ohio River. But because they were able to assess the scene early, that basin has been isolated ever since. Parrott said that means everything that had collected in that basin didn't release into the waterways, allowing them to contain a lot of oil and runoff from the crash site.

A contractor hired by UPS is working with MSD, the EPA and local Emergency Management Agency to clean up the site as they continue assessing any environmental impact from the crash.

On Friday, MSD issued a warning to the community to avoid contact with waterways in the southern part of Jefferson County "due to potentially contaminated runoff from UPS plane crash." Parrott said Monday the warning, although precautionary, will remain in effect until otherwise stated as crews continue assessing waterways over the next few weeks.

Those living in the southern part of Jefferson County are asked to continue avoiding contact with waterways, especially along Pond Creek and the Northern and Southern ditches. Contact includes touching, fishing, swimming and kayaking. However, Parrott said, there is no impact to the drinking water in those areas.

"Unless you've been contacted by Louisville Water, you should not be concerned about your drinking water," he said.

Pets should also be kept away from the water.

Parrott said anyone who sees oil, debris or discoloration should report it to MSD by calling 502-540-6000 or emailing customerrelations@louisvillemsd.org.

Lawsuit claims negligence

A lawsuit was filed Thursday against UPS, General Electric and Boeing, claiming the companies' recklessness contributed to the plane crash Tuesday that killed 14 people.

Shakeara Ware, who lives near the crash site, joined Triple D, Inc., and Ensey LLC, in the class action complaint filed by Morgan & Morgan. Triple D is an auto repair shop on Knopp Avenue destroyed by the plane, and Ensey LLC, owns the building where Triple D, Inc., operates, according to Jefferson County property records.

The suit also takes aim at the aircraft itself, saying the MD-11 and CF-6 engines have a long history of catastrophic failures — and that the MD-11 has the second-worst safety record of any commercial aircraft still flying.

The lawsuit asks for an order certifying the class as well as unspecified damages.

Another lawsuit is also expected — from Whiteford, Taylor & Preston — on behalf of Kentucky families who were injured or killed, including employees at Grade A Recycling.