The cause of the UPS cargo plane crash early this morning outside of the international airport in Alabama is still unknown. The two pilots on board did not make any distress calls to the control tower at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.
The Airbus A300 traveling from Kentucky to Birmingham, Alabama crashed before 5:00 a.m. this morning. Residents surrounding the airport say they heard a loud boom, and many rushed outside to investigate its cause. The remains of the plane were on fire for hours, with the nose of the plane detached from its body. The plane’s pilot and co-pilot were the only passengers on board, and both were confirmed dead this morning. No other injuries have been reported to-date.
The cause of the accident is still undetermined. There were light showers and clouds in Birmingham with a visibility of ten miles at the time of the crash, according to meteorologist Dave Hennen. The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.
“We place the utmost value on the safety of our employees, our customers and the public. We will immediately engage with the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation, and we will work exhaustively on response efforts,” said UPS Airlines President Mitch Nichols in a press release this morning. The last UPS cargo plane crash was in September of 2010 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. “This incident is very unfortunate, and our thoughts and prayers are with those involved,” he said. UPS has set up an information hotline with electronically recorded updates regarding the accident as they unfold (502) 329-0110.
