Four Die as UPS Cargo Jet Crashes After Takeoff, Striking Louisville Scrap Yard
Tragedy struck Louisville, Kentucky, late Thursday afternoon when a UPS MD-11 cargo jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing 45-year-old Angela Anderson, a local mother, along with the aircraft’s three pilots — Captain Richard Wartenberg, Relief Captain Dana Diamond, and First Officer Lee Truitt of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The disaster unfolded around 5:13 p.m., when witnesses saw the large cargo jet lift off the runway trailing fire from its left engine. Within moments, the aircraft began to roll sharply to the left, losing altitude before slamming into an industrial area about a mile and a half from the airport — the 1700 block of South Park Road, home to several scrap and metal recycling yards.
Angela Anderson had just arrived at the Sunrise Scrap & Recycle Yard, where she often delivered scrap loads to support her small family business. Moments before the crash, she had kissed her boyfriend, Donald Henderson, goodbye outside their home. Henderson later recalled telling her, “Go ahead, take it,” referring to the load she’d planned to sell before dinner. That brief farewell became his last memory of the woman he called “all I got.”
When the MD-11 plunged into the lot, its left wing clipped a crane, igniting fuel tanks and sending flames and debris across several acres. Anderson, who was near her truck weighing a load, was killed instantly. Her vehicle was found mangled beneath wreckage from the aircraft’s fuselage.
Firefighters from the Louisville Fire Department and Airport Emergency Services battled the inferno for over an hour as fuel-fed flames engulfed parts of the industrial yard. Thick black smoke could be seen rising miles away across Jefferson County. Emergency crews confirmed there were no survivors among the three pilots onboard.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched a joint investigation into the cause of the accident. Preliminary findings indicate that the left engine caught fire shortly after takeoff, possibly linked to a mechanical issue noted in the aircraft’s maintenance records. According to internal UPS maintenance logs, the 34-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-11 had recently undergone work in San Antonio, where a fuel tank crack was reported and repaired. Investigators are now determining whether that repair played any role in the fire that led to catastrophic loss of control.
Witness Carl Newman, who was driving nearby on Grade Lane, said, “I looked up and saw the left engine glowing orange, then the plane just rolled hard left — it didn’t look like it could pull up.”
Angela Anderson’s friends and family described her as a hardworking, loving mother devoted to her children and her small circle of close friends. She had lived in Louisville her entire life and was known for her warmth, her humor, and her dedication to her family’s modest metal recycling business.
Her boyfriend, Donald Henderson, stood near the crash site hours later, clutching her work gloves. “She was the strongest person I knew,” he said. “She just wanted to make a little extra money for the kids. I told her I’d see her in a few hours. Now she’s gone.”
Captain Richard Wartenberg, the senior pilot, was a veteran aviator with over 16,000 flight hours, including two decades flying MD-11 freighters for UPS. Relief Captain Dana Diamond, described by colleagues as calm and detail-oriented, had recently completed training for long-haul international cargo routes. First Officer Lee Truitt, 34, of Albuquerque, was known for his professionalism and passion for flying, having joined UPS less than two years ago after serving in the Air Force Reserve.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homans stated Friday morning that investigators recovered the aircraft’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the debris field and will send them to Washington, D.C., for analysis. She added that while it’s too early to draw conclusions, “initial reports suggest a left engine fire and rapid aerodynamic instability contributed to the loss of control.”
The crash marks one of the worst aviation incidents in Louisville since 2009, when a small commuter aircraft went down near the same corridor.
As the investigation continues, Louisville residents have left flowers and candles near the site, paying tribute to Angela Anderson and the three UPS pilots who lost their lives in a tragedy that unfolded in seconds.
“Our city mourns deeply tonight,” said Mayor Craig Greenberg. “Angela was one of our own — a hardworking mother — and the UPS crew members who served the skies with dedication are also part of our family.”
