LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — It could be months or a year before the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board can determine what caused a UPS cargo plane to crash late Tuesday afternoon. What is known - it's the deadliest plane crash in the company's history.
The company has experienced two other deadly accidents: a Boeing 747 that caught fire in flight over Dubai in September 2010 killing two crew members, and another crash in August 2013 when a plane that departed from Louisville crashed in Birmingham, Alabama killing both pilots.
Aviation expert Ian Petchenik, with Flightradar24, a global flight tracking service, said the NTSB will take a close look at the plane's maintenance records, check for previously flagged issues, examine the engines, and look at human factors.
"Based on video evidence we've seen and some of footage from airport and surrounding it, it does appear there was some sort of catastrophic mechanical failure and it led to an unrecoverable situation for the crew of the aircraft," said Petchenik.
The aircraft involved was a 34-year-old MD-11, originally manufactured in 1990. The planes were first used as passenger aircraft before being converted primarily for cargo operations.
Despite the aircraft's age, Petchenik said older planes can operate safely with proper maintenance.
"The age of an aircraft doesn't really have an impact on how safe the aircraft is - as long as it's maintained, as long as maintenance schedules are followed, as long as checks are done - as long as things are repaired as needed, aircraft can really stay in the air for really a long time," Petchenik said.
According to the Bureau of Aircraft Archives, the MD-11 has had 11 total accidents with 252 fatalities throughout its operational history.
