A UPS (United Parcel Service) A-300 Airbus crashed upon its approach on Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport at around 6 a.m., Wednesday.
The jumbo cargo plane that originated from Louisville, Kentucky crashed in the area of Airport and Huffman roads adjacent to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, Birmingham News reported.
UPS issued an immediate statement two hours after the crash, saying, "At this time, we are still determining the details of the incident. We will release more information as it becomes available. As we work through this difficult situation, we ask for your patience, and that you keep those involved in your thoughts and prayers."
FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The crash of UPS Flight 1354 occurred about one-half mile north of Runway 18."
The two pilots aboard the plane died immediately.
The cargo plane crashed in a remote part outside the airport's perimeter fence and a white cloud of smoke was seen rising from the crash site. Debris was still fuming and the plane's nose was detached from the body.
The National Transportation Safety Board released a statement saying that it will deploy a Go-Team from Washington, D.C. to investigate the crash. Senior Aviation Investigator Dan Bower will act as the investigator-in-charge.
It was not clear what the Airbus was carrying but UPS spokesman Jeff Wafford said the plane was loaded with a wide variety of cargo.
The Sandy Springs based company is the second largest company in Georgia and the world's biggest package delivery company. The cargo company has a fleet of over 300 airplanes, which includes the Airbus A300. The A300 is described as a short to medium-range wide body jet airliner.
A similar incident happened on another UPS cargo plane in United Arab Emirates on Sept. 3, 2010. The country blamed the crash on the 80,000 to 90,000 lithium batteries the plane was carrying. Such batteries are sensitive to temperature and investigators concluded that a fire likely occurred before the plane crashed. Both pilots were also killed from the incident.
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
