The union that represents 3,500 UPS pilots is working to comfort the families of three colleagues lost in last’s catastrophic jet crash and provide support services to members feeling emotional strain.
“We’re just heartbroken for the families of our crew that were on the aircraft, their families and the victims that were on the ground when the aircraft impacted,” said Bob Travis, president of the International Pilots Association, in an interview.
Travis, an active pilot with 31 years of service at UPS (NYSE: UPS), said he previously flew with two of the three crew members who operated the MD-11 freighter that careened into an industrial park last Tuesday seconds after taking off from the UPS air hub at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky.
Fourteen people were killed in the accident, including 11 people on the ground, according to the official death toll. UPS identified the pilots on board Flight 2976 as Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond According to video footage and the National Transportation Safety Board, the left engine separated from the wing during takeoff, causing a fire.
Diamond was riding along as the third pilot to replace one of the other crew members when they timed out on their allowable hours of service or weren’t able to fully carry out all their tasks. He was number four on UPS’s seniority list and had the most seniority flying the MD-11, said IPA spokesman Brian Gaudet, who said he knew Diamond since 1997.
“Our focus right now as an association is twofold. First and foremost, we’re providing support to family members. I’ve spoken to all three spouses of our crew members who were on board. Those are always tough calls to make,” Travis said. The IPA is also assisting the NTSB with the investigation into the cause of the accident.
IPA incident response teams are also providing counseling to pilots who were either on the taxiway waiting for their turn to takeoff, and witnessed the accident happen, or were at the crew base preparing for flights that afternoon, the union chief said. Support services are also being provided to pilots in other hubs around the world who are coping with a range of feelings.
“Words can’t express the sorrow we feel over the heartbreaking Flight 2976 accident,” Nando Cesarone, UPS executive vice president, U.S. & UPS Airlines, said in a statement last week. “Our hearts go out to every UPSer who has been impacted and all in our Louisville community — supporting you and ensuring you receive the care and resources you need is our priority.”
On Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited MD-11 flights until all freighter aircraft can be thoroughly inspected because of concern the problem with Flight 2976 could be present in other units. There are about 70 of the freighter aircraft currently in service, including 27 at UPS and 28 at FedEx. The airlines had already grounded their MD-11 fleets at Boeing’s recommendation.
The NTSB has invited UPS and the IPA to participate in the investigation.
Travis, who was an instructor pilot on the MD-11 and is very familiar with the aircraft, said the IPA has an accident coordinator that works closely with NSTB officials and subject matter experts who will participate in various subgroups tasked with investigating areas such as the engines, the airframe, hydraulic systems, pilot performance and maintenance.
“We have trained accident investigators” who will provide feedback and analysis that could help with the investigation, said Travis.
This is the third UPS freighter disaster in 15 years. In 2010, a Boeing 747-400 crashed after taking off from Dubai, killing both pilots. Investigators determined a load of lithium batteries caught fire, damaging the flight control system and filling the flight deck with smoke, hampering the ability of the pilots to operate the plane.
Two more pilots were killed in 2013 when an Airbus A300-600 crashed during a nighttime landing in inclement weather in Birmingham, Alabama. The NTSB cited pilot error and fatigue as contributing factors in the accident.
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