Louisville UPS plane crash witnesses describe horror as aviation expert weighs in

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) - Investigations into plane crashes are complex and time-consuming, with the National Transportation Safety Board typically completing an investigation within 12 to 24 months.

That means it will be a while until the full scope of Tuesday night’s UPS plane crash tragedy is understood. The crash resulted in an explosion and sprawling fire near Muhammad Ali International Airport.

The amount of damage and the size of the scene can make an already complex investigation more difficult, said Dr. Tim Holt, Chair of EKU’s School of Aviation and Executive Director of their Center for Aviation.

“This is one of those scenes based on the speed for takeoff, that angle, it’s going to be a little bit more spread out,” Holt said.

Investigation process begins

Once the National Transportation Safety Board decides to launch an investigation, they send an investigator or a team of them, called a Go Team, to the scene.

“That Go Team will have expertise in every area. Administrative, human factors, psychology, medical, they’ll be specialists on the engines and metallurgy pilots, you name it,” Holt said.

Holt said one of their first objectives is to identify what they call the four corners: the nose of the aircraft, the left wing tip, the right wing tip, and the tail. What’s left of the wreckage depends on the velocity and the impact angle of the crash.

Wednesday, the Okolona Fire Chief described the wreckage, saying there wasn’t much of anything left.

“That’s going to make a little bit of the wreckage a little bit more difficult, but the expertise of the personnel and the go-team expertise of the NTSB. They really know how to comb through and find the smallest possible clue and to come out with any of the possible causal factors to this,” Holt said.

Every piece of debris could be crucial

Local and federal leaders are asking anyone who believes they have found a piece of the wreckage not to touch it, and to document it.

The Louisville Metro Government has created an online portal to submit photos and descriptions of any debris found. A link to the portal can be found here.

The NTSB is also asking people who believe they have found a piece of debris to email them at witness@ntsb.gov.

“That could be the one clue that is needed to identify possible causes to it,” Holt said.

In the past, Holt said things as small as a bolt or debris found miles away have been the final piece to determine a crash’s cause.

Congressman Morgan McGarvey said every possible resource is being brought to the NTSB’s investigation. He added that the ongoing federal government shutdown will not impact the case.

Witnesses describe horrific scene

The large plume of smoke from the crash could be seen from miles away. People from Louisville and beyond have shared videos they captured of the tragedy and photos of the aftermath. Witnesses describe it as a scene they will never be able to erase from their minds.

Joe Mancebo described watching a plume of smoke growing to 30 stories high and three blocks wide.

“I was in disbelief of what I had seen,” Mancebo said. “I realized something had gone horribly wrong. Catastrophically horribly wrong.”

Mancebo and his wife Kathy were driving to pick up dinner Tuesday night when the UPS plane crashed.

“As we learned it was a plane crash we just couldn’t believe the devastation that we saw,” Kathy Mancebo said.

“It was just unreal. It was something you’ll never be able to unsee or unthink of ever again for the rest of your life,” Joe Mancebo said.

The Mancebos found themselves struggling to sleep after the tragedy they witnessed.

“It was like a shock still this morning that we witnessed this in real time, but didn’t know what we were witnessing,” Kathy Mancebo said.

The couple had just returned from their honeymoon, driving back to the Commonwealth all the way from Miami. Kathy said she opted for the long drive as she’d recently found herself scared to board a plane.

“I said, ‘Let’s drive,’ and I think something had been pulling at me. I couldn’t explain it. I just kept watching in the news, wondering why I didn’t want to leave Louisville on a plane,” Kathy Mancebo said.

Kathy and Joe said witnessing the crash was an unfortunate reminder of how precious life is.