NTSB says an engine fell off UPS plane before deadly Louisville crash

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said an engine fell off a UPS plane just before a fiery crash that killed 12 people and left 16 missing in Louisville Tuesday evening.

During a news conference Wednesday afternoon, NTSB member Todd Inman said the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder — also known as the "black box" — had been recovered from the airplane wreckage sometime between 2-3 p.m.

Inman said the black box "suffered some heat" from the fire that ensued when the plane crashed. There was no "intrusion," he said, adding that the boxes are built to sustain heat.

The box will be sent to the NTSB lab in Washington, D.C., to get "a good read of applicable data," which will provide more insight into what led to the crash. Analysis of the box should take several days, and audio will not be released out of respect for those who were in the aircraft, Inman said.

UPS Flight 2976 crashed just after 5 p.m. Tuesday, leaving 12 people dead, including a child, and 16 people missing.

"After being cleared for takeoff, a large plume of fire in the area of the left wing occurred during takeoff roll. The plane lifted off and gained enough altitude to clear the fence at the end of runway 17R," Inman said. "Shortly after clearing that fence, it made impact with structures and terrain off the airport property. A post-impact fire ensued, which covered approximately, almost a half of a mile."

The plane was headed to Honolulu with three people onboard, Inman said. Investigators said all three people died in the crash. According to flight data, the plane had made several trips to Hawaii before the crash.

Investigators have reviewed airport security video and said it shows the left engine detaching from the plane during the takeoff roll. Inman said videos and other evidence are valuable assets in their investigation and help the NTSB figure out what areas to hone their investigation in on.

"On behalf of the entire NTSB, I want to just express our sincere condolences to those who were not only affected by losing family members in this accident, but those that were also injured and those that are still missing. It is a tough day for Louisville, for Kentucky, it's a tough day being a Kentuckian myself," Inman said. "I know what a great community this is, how impactful those people that suffered and have died are, and we've seen it all day. We know it is tearing at the community and we are deeply sorry. We are here to try to find out not only what happened, but why it happened and more importantly how do we prevent it from happening again."

The plane that crashed, Inman said, was a McDonald Douglass II manufactured in 1991 that had been altered to be an MD 11-F, the "F" standing for "freighter."

Because the debris field from the crash is so large, investigators are asking those with possible debris in their yards to contact them.

"We know there's a lot of debris out there. It's in some yards, it's in some business locations. If you have any debris, or you see something that you think is from an aircraft, please contact us at the email witness@ntsb.gov," Inman said. "Sometimes we get some very good information from items that are found, and with a debris field a half mile long, we're still making the determination of exactly where and what parts of the airplane and where they're at."

Inman said there are "a lot of different parts of this airplane in different places."

"Whenever you have a post-impact to not only structures but also to the terrain, you have to analyze why it came there and then how do you recover it correctly in order to analyze it," he said.

IMAGES | UPS plane explosion sparks massive plume of smoke across Louisville area

UPS plane underwent recent maintenance

The plane should have been able to take off if one engine was inoperable or even if it had fallen off, John Cox the CEO of Florida-based aviation consulting firm Safety Operating Systems told The Associated Press. But that may not have been possible if one of the other engines was damaged or there was other significant damage to the plane.

The NTSB will look into the full maintenance history of the UPS plane as well as the engines and other components, Inman said.

But he said UPS has told the agency that the flight was not delayed and that no maintenance was performed right before it took off.

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. The AP reported it wasn't clear what work was done. But according to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the plane needed a critical fuel tank repair.

The report cited FAA maintenance records that show the jet needed a permanent repair to fix a crack in the fuel tank before it returned to service. WDRB is working to independently obtain those maintenance records from the FAA.

The WSJ said UPS and FedEx still fly dozens of the MD-11 planes like the one that crashed in Louisville Tuesday, slowly extending the lives of the jets as they are retired over time. The outlet's report said UPS bought the jet and converted it into a cargo plane in 2006.

Industry safety data from Boeing in April said the MD-11 has the second-worst safety record of any commercial aircraft in service, the WSJ reported.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, told the AP it’s too early to know whether the problem at the time of the crash was in the engine, the structure that holds the engine, or something else.

“It could have been the engine partially coming off and ripping out fuel lines. Or it could have been a fuel leak igniting and then burning the engine off. it’s just too soon to tell,” he said.

NTSB investigative process

Teams arrived in Louisville Wednesday morning and are on the ground at the crash site. The agency is tasked by Congress to investigate incidents, such as plane crashes, and issue safety recommendations to prevent future incidents and losses.

Inman said 28 NTSB members from the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., as well as other locations are on the ground or will be by the end of the day.

"We've seen some aerial videos and some photographs. The emergency management here, along with the first responders, have done an amazing job. We've been working with them since we got on the ground. They have some command posts set up," he said. "And I just want to applaud them for not only the work they've done and the work they are doing, and the courtesies they're providing us along with the UPS staff and everyone here at the airport."

Inman said the process of the investigation starts with analyzing the facts of the incident, determining probable cause and issuing a report on recommendations.

As part of the investigation, Inman said specific groups are being formed to cover different areas. Those groups include:

Operations: This team will review the history of the accident flight and crew members' duties for "as many days before the crash that appear relevant," Inman said.

Structures: Will document the airframe wreckage and accident scene. This team will also calculate impact angles of the crash to "help determine the plane's pre-impact course and altitude."

Power plants: Will be tasked with examining the plane's engines and engine accessories.

Systems: This team will study components of the plane's hydraulic, electrical, pneumatic and associated systems, together with the instruments and elements of the flight control system.

Maintenance: Will look at maintenance and maintenance records, as well as any work done on the plane going "as far back as needed."

Inman said the NTSB is also bringing in specialists on air traffic control, human performance, aircraft performance and recorders, as well as government and media relations.

Because the investigation is in its early stages, Inman said more facts can be expected to be released over the next few days by the NTSB exclusively. He said crews are expected to be in Louisville for a week, if not longer. Thursday will be investigators' first full day at the wreckage site.

While the NTSB will determine probable cause in the crash investigation, Inman said they would not be making a determination while on scene and "will not speculate on what may have caused the incident."

This story may be updated.