ERLANGER, Ky. — An Erlanger man was among the three UPS pilots killed in Tuesday's fatal plane crash.
Officials said at least 13 people, including a child, died when a UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded during takeoff at UPS Worldport, the company's global hub, in Louisville. UPS confirmed Thursday that Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond were on the aircraft.
Wartenberg, officials have confirmed, lived in Erlanger at the time of the crash.
Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers, who served as an Air Force pilot for two decades, said on social media that Wartenberg served as a pilot in the Air Force Reserve starting in 1974. He was assigned to the 356th Airlift Squadron within the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
In a 2011 interview with the Dayton Daily News, Wartenberg spoke about flying over crash sites at the Pentagon and Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2001. Per the Dayton Daily News, the 445th flew a trauma, surgical and critical care team to support emergency responses that day.
Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said the UPS plane Wartenberg was flying to Honolulu reached an altitude of 475 feet and a speed of 210 miles per hour before crashing right outside the Louisville airport.
A large fire had started in the plane's left wing and an engine had fallen off during takeoff, according to Inman. He said the NTSB is now trying to determine what caused those things to happen.
Officials did confirm the plane's black box was recovered and could help investigators learn more about what went wrong.
