The three pilots killed when a UPS plane crashed in a fiery explosion in Kentucky earlier this week were identified Thursday — as a missing mother of two is believed to be among the victims on the ground.
“Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond were operating the flight,” UPS said in a statement.
“Words can’t express the sorrow we feel over the heartbreaking Flight 2976 accident. … This continues to be an incredibly sad time for our entire UPS family, and as our CEO, Carol Tomé reminded us: ‘United, we are strong.’”
International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond
A local mother of two is also believed to have died when the plane went down in Louisville Tuesday — with her boyfriend spared because he was too tired and stayed home.
Angela “Angie” Anderson, 45, is one of nine people still missing after UPS Flight 2976 crashed just south of the city’s Muhammad Ali International Airport.
Anderson was at the nearby Grade A Auto Parts & Scrap Metal Recycling facility when the plane crashed and exploded, her boyfriend, Donald Henderson, 55, told local WDRB.
Henderson said the mother-of-two headed out to the facility to get rid of some scrap metal the couple had wanted to get off their hands.
“She wanted to take it, get rid of it, and I was like, ‘Go, go ahead. So she took off,” an emotional Henderson told the outlet.
Angela “Angie” Anderson, 45, is one of the nine people still missing in the UPS plane crash in Louisville this week. facebook/aanderson1979
UPS Flight 2976 crashed just south of Muhammad Ali International Airport. Anela Hadzic / Facebook
Henderson said he was too tired after a long day’s work, so he let Anderson go by herself — only to come to regret the decision following the fatal crash.
“She’s all I got,” the heartbroken boyfriend said.
Angel O’Rafferty, Anderson’s friend, said there haven’t been any updates on the missing mom’s status since Tuesday’s tragedy,” the Daily Mail reported.
“Angela Anderson!!! I love you with all my heart. PLEASE GOD bring her to safety along with the others that have not been found from The Plane Wreck in Louisville, Kentucky,” O’Rafferty wrote on Facebook.
The UPS plane crash killed at least 12 people. Anela Hadzic / Facebook
“She arrived at the site where the plane crashed at 5:11 pm the plane hit at 5:12pm and hasn’t been heard from since yesterday… please keep these people in your prayers,” she added.
The UPS jet was carrying about 50,000 gallons of fuel when it took off from the airport, with footage showing the plane’s left engine completely engulfed in flames as it sped down the runway for takeoff before it descended and crashed moments after its nose lifted from the ground.
The National Transit Safety Board is investigating what caused the fire, with the plane’s black box recovered on Thursday.
Local and state officials confirmed that among the 12 dead was a child who was with a parent at the car parts business.