Home » UPS flight from Louisville to Birmingham crashes; pilots killed

UPS flight from Louisville to Birmingham crashes; pilots killed

Staff report
lanereport.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 14, 2013) — A UPS cargo jet that took off from the UPS Worldport in Louisville crashed Wednesday morning near Birmingham, Ala., killing the pilot and co-pilot.

UPS Worldport in Louisville
UPS Worldport in Louisville

The plane crashed at 6:11 a.m. in a field near the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport. Witnesses said there were mulitple explosions and the crash site burned for several hours.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer expressed his condolences via Twitter and Facebook, saying, “Today, everyone in Louisville is thinking of our UPS family.”

Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson, former Louisville mayor, also used Twitter to talk about the crash.

“The UPS plane crash in Alabama touches close to home for all of us in KY because UPS is such significant part of our region,” he said. “Please keep the families and coworkers of the UPS pilots in your thoughts and prayers.”

The plane was on approach to the runway at the airport when it crashed, National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said.

“This incident is very unfortunate, and our thoughts and prayers are with those involved,” said UPS Airlines President Mitch Nichols in a written statement. “We place the utmost value on the safety of our employees, our customers and the public.”

The pilots’ names have not been released.