The tragic crash of UPS Flight 2976 has claimed its 15th victim, as reported by NBC News. On Christmas Day, Alain Rodriguez Colina, a metal buyer at a scrapyard near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, passed away after being in an induced coma for seven weeks. He had sustained severe burns during the November 4 incident, in which the aircraft crashed into the scrapyard, resulting in devastating destruction and loss of life.
Alain Rodriguez Colina’s death underscores the human toll of the UPS Flight 2976 disaster. A Cuban immigrant, Colina had been working at Grade A Auto Parts & Recycling when the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F operating the flight crashed. At the time of the incident, he was attending to a customer alongside a coworker, who did not survive the crash. Colina managed to escape the wreckage but suffered burns covering more than 50% of his body.
Upon arrival at the hospital, doctors placed him in a medically induced coma. Although he showed signs of slow recovery initially, his condition deteriorated significantly, culminating in his death on December 25. Colina leaves behind family members in Louisville and a daughter in Cuba.
The Crash of UPS Flight 2976
UPS Flight 2976 was a scheduled cargo flight from Louisville to Honolulu. The flight, operated by the 34-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-11F, took off from Louisville at approximately 17:13 local time. Shortly after reaching V1, the aircraft’s number one engine detached from the wing, which was followed by a fire that spread to the aircraft’s left wing.
In a manner reminiscent of the infamous American Airlines Flight 191 disaster in 1979, the aircraft became uncontrollable, banking sharply to the left before entering a dive. The left main landing gear struck a UPS Supply Chain warehouse, and both the left wing and the fuselage crashed into the scrapyard and a nearby semi-truck parking lot.
The incident resulted in the deaths of three pilots aboard and 12 individuals on the ground, including Alain Rodriguez Colina. Additionally, 22 others sustained injuries during the crash.
Investigations and Safety Concerns
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash of UPS Flight 2976. Preliminary findings suggest that the aircraft may have also lost its number two engine, which could explain its inability to climb after the number one engine failure.
The sequence of events bears striking similarities to the crash of American Airlines Flight 191, which remains the deadliest aviation disaster in the United States with a total of 273 fatalities. In that incident, improper maintenance procedures led to the separation of the engine and pylon assembly, causing a series of catastrophic failures.
As the investigation unfolds, aviation experts will closely analyze the maintenance history of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F and assess the potential implications for cargo flight safety regulations. The final NTSB report is anticipated to provide crucial insights into the events that led to this tragic accident and may prompt changes in operational safety standards for similar aircraft.
As the community mourns the loss of Alain Rodriguez Colina and others affected by this disaster, the push for increased safety measures in the aviation industry continues to gain traction.
