Scrapyard worker injured in UPS plane crash dies on Christmas, raising deaths to 15

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A man injured in last month’s fiery UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky died on Christmas Day, raising the death toll from the crash to 15, officials announced late Thursday.

Alain Rodriguez Colina worked at a scrapyard that was devastated when the departing cargo plane, fully loaded with fuel for a flight to Hawaii, plowed into businesses just outside Louisville’s airport on Nov. 4. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg conformed his death via social media.

“Alain is the 15th victim of the UPS Flight 2976 accident,” Greenberg said. “He suffered severe injuries at the time of the crash and passed earlier this Christmas Day. May Alain’s memory be a blessing.”

Grade A Auto Parts & Recycling owner and CEO Sean Garber confirmed to scramble to help survivors of the crash’s massive explosion, which killed three other employees as well as customers. Dramatic video captured the aircraft crashing into businesses and erupting in a fireball.

Three pilots and multiple people on the ground were killed outside Muhammad Ali International Airport, where UPS has its largest package delivery hub, after the plane’s left engine detached. Cracks were later found where the engine connected to the wing, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

Earlier this month, a lawyer filed two wrongful death lawsuits that allege that the company kept flying older aircrafts without increasing maintenance beyond what’s regularly scheduled. The lawsuit also names General Electric, which made the plane’s engine. Both UPS and GE have said they don’t comment on pending lawsuits but safety remains their top priority as they assist the federal investigation.

The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all MD-11s, which had exclusively been used for hauling cargo for more than a decade.