The UPS cargo jet that crashed and exploded Tuesday in Louisville, Ky., spent much of September and October in San Antonio for maintenance.
The MD-11 aircraft crashed about 5:15 p.m. as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. At least nine people were killed and another 11 injured.
Video showed flames on the 32-year-old plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke. The jet briefly lifted off the ground before crashing and exploding in a giant fireball.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
Singapore-based ST has said previously that its San Antonio site been UPS’ main provider of “heavy maintenance” for MD-11s since the shipper began using the airframe in 2002. ST also converted nearly all of UPS’ MD-11s from passenger to freighter aircraft.
Both UPS and FedEx regularly fly the wide body, three-engined MD-11s into San Antonio. In April 2020, a FedEx MD-11 lost a nose wheel during takeoff from San Antonio. There were no injuries and the craft landed safely.
Earlier this year, the Qatari super-luxury jet that President Donald Trump wants to be converted into a temporary Air Force One spent nearly three months at ST’s facility in San Antonio. It’s now at the L3Harris Technologies Inc. facility at Texas State Technical College Waco Airport.