Lawsuits Filed for Wrongful Death in UPS Jet Crash

The first wrongful death claims have been officially submitted in Kentucky state court in connection with the UPS MD-11F crash in Louisville on November 4. The lawsuits were filed on Wednesday by Clifford Law Offices of Chicago and Louisville attorney Sam Aguiar, representing the families of Angela Anderson, a local business customer, and Trinadette Chavez, an employee at one of the facilities destroyed in the crash.

The legal filings allege negligence and identify several defendants, including UPS, General Electric (the engine manufacturer), Boeing (which purchased McDonnell Douglas, the planes original maker), and VT San Antonio Aerospace Inc., a Texas-based maintenance company.

UPS Flight 2976, a cargo jet en route to Honolulu, went down shortly after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (KSDF) around 5:15 p.m. CST. Video footage showed the aircrafts left engine on fire before it detached during takeoff. The plane crashed into a nearby industrial park, triggering a large explosion and fire that destroyed an auto yard and a petroleum recycling facility. Fourteen people, including the three pilots, died, and at least 23 others sustained injuries.

This is an unacceptable disaster highlighting a catastrophic failure of multiple safety systems, said Bradley Cosgrove, a partner at Clifford Law Offices. Aguiar added that the lawsuits aim to provide clarity and justice for the victims families.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, having recovered the aircrafts black boxes. A preliminary report released on November 20 indicated early signs of fatigue fractures in bolts and locking mechanisms on the 34-year-old plane. The NTSB also reported that the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) captured a repeating bell 37 seconds into the takeoff roll, lasting 25 seconds while the crew attempted to control the aircraft.

Veteran aviation lawyer Robert Clifford drew parallels between this crash and the 1979 American Airlines Flight 191 accident in Chicago, where a detached engine similarly caused a fatal crash. Clifford also questioned the aircrafts age and whether financial priorities were placed above safety.

In response to the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has temporarily grounded all MD-11 planes pending further investigation.

Author: Sophia Brooks