UPS crew members killed in Louisville plane crash identified

Monica Kast, Lexington Herald-Leader on Nov 6, 2025

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The first three victims of Tuesday’s fatal UPS cargo plane crash have been identified, according to a Thursday afternoon statement from the company.

The victims, members of the UPS crew, were identified as Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond.

“Words can’t express the sorrow we feel over the heartbreaking Flight 2976 accident,” Nando Cesarone, the company’s executive vice president of U.S. and UPS Airlines, said in the statement.

The crash happened around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday as Flight 2976 was leaving Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, killing at least 12 people, including the three UPS crew members, and injuring several others. National Transportation Safety Board Member Todd Inman said Wednesday airport video showed the left engine of the MD-11 McDonnell Douglas aircraft detaching soon after takeoff.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg confirmed Thursday morning the crew was among those who had died.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of our colleagues, and to the loved ones of those in the Louisville community,” Cesarone said.

Identities of the other victims have not been released as of Thursday evening. Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday that additional testing may be needed to confirm some identities.

Nine people also remained missing as of Thursday morning, Greenberg said. Search and rescue teams are “delayering” the debris to try to find other possible victims.

Inman said Thursday the full maintenance history of the UPS plane will be examined to further determine what led to the crash. The plane, a McDonnell Douglass MD-11, had previously undergone six weeks of maintenance in September and October in San Antonio.

MD-11 planes have three engines. Two are mounted underneath the left and right wings, with a third located near the tail. According to an online database of flight crashes by the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives, a Geneva-based group that tracks airplane accidents, the MD-11 has been involved in 11 incidents resulting in more than 244 fatalities since 1993.

Some involved pilot error or weather conditions, while other incidents were caused by electrical and mechanical problems.

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Herald-Leader reporter Beth Musgrave contributed to this story.

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