UPS plane crash in Louisville claims 15th victim weeks after fiery takeoff failure
A man who was severely injured in the fiery crash of a UPS cargo plane in Louisville, Kentucky, has died more than seven weeks later, bringing the total number of fatalities from the crash to 15.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg identified the victim as Alain Rodriguez Colina, saying that he died Thursday after suffering critical injuries in the crash.
"It is with great sadness that I just learned Alain Rodriguez Colina has passed," Greenberg wrote in an X post on Thursday evening. "Alain is the 15th victim of the UPS Flight 2976 accident. He suffered severe injuries at the time of the crash and passed earlier this Christmas Day. May Alain’s memory be a blessing."
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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear reacted to the updated death toll on X, urging people to "pray for these families today and in the days, months and years to come so they know they are not alone and they are loved."
Colina’s death marks the latest development in one of the deadliest U.S. aviation disasters this year.
On Nov. 4, UPS Flight 2976 crashed moments after departing Louisville International Airport, slamming into a nearby industrial area and killing three crew members and 11 people on the ground.
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that the Honolulu-bound cargo plane's left engine separated from the aircraft and burst into flames shortly after takeoff.
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Black box data indicates that the plane only reached just 30 feet above ground level before the crash.
Airport surveillance footage shows the left engine and pylon separating from the wing shortly after the airplane rotated, with a fire igniting on the left engine, according to the NTSB report.
The left engine later slammed onto the ground, and a fire ignited near the left pylon attachment to the wing, which continued until the plane crashed into a nearby storage yard and two buildings, the report said.
Investigators also said the left pylon’s aft mount broke, allowing the engine to detach, adding that they found tiny cracks that grew over time around boltholes in the mount, until it failed under normal stress.
Fox News Digital's Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.