A man has died from injuries he sustained more than a month ago, when a UPS cargo plane crashed in Louisville, Ky., killing three crew members on board and 12 people on the ground, officials said Thursday.
The man, Alain Rodriguez Colina, died on Christmas Day, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Mayor Craig Greenberg of Louisville said in social media posts.
Mr. Colina worked at Grade A Auto Parts, one of the two businesses struck when UPS Flight 2976 crashed on Nov. 4 shortly after taking off from Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville. The crash ignited a large fire and sent plumes of black smoke over a wide area south of the airport, where UPS maintains Worldport, its largest air cargo hub.
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board said the left engine of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 plane, which had been bound for Honolulu, had separated from the wing as the plane accelerated down the runway. A bracket meant to hold the engine in place had cracked in two places, leading to flames, the report said.
The plane climbed to 30 feet before crashing into Grade A Auto Parts and a petroleum recycling facility, the report said. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary ban on flying MD-11s, which make up nearly 10 percent of UPS’s air cargo fleet.
Mr. Colina joined Grade A Auto Parts in April 2023, according to the company’s website. In March, the company recognized him for his work, noting that he always greeted customers with a smile.
“Alain’s life advice is to treat customers well and strive to be better each and every day,” the company said.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
The post Death Toll in UPS Plane Crash Rises to 15 appeared first on New York Times.
