November 6, 2025

UPS releases the names of three crew members killed in Tuesday’s fiery plane crash in Louisville, union representing UPS pilots weighs in on the investigation into the deadly UPS crash, fewer flights will be coming into Louisville airport after FAA announces it's reducing air traffic at 40 airports because of the government shutdown, and new database launched to track evictions in Kentucky.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
The charred, mangled metal. In

(00:14):
some cases. At that point,
there were still some smoke
rising from piles of debris.
>> A closer look tonight at the
UPS plane crash site and new
dash cam video of the crash
itself.
>> Planes were lining up to
take off, and then all of a
sudden you have this horrific

(00:35):
accident takeoff.
>> The group that represents
UPS pilots around the world
weighs in on the investigation
and what it hopes to learn from
it.
>> So it has a ripple effect
across the entire family and
across what children have
access to in order for them to
be safe and stable.
>> And new efforts to reduce

(00:58):
household evictions in the
state.
>> Production of Kentucky
edition is made possible in
part by the KET Millennium Fund.

(01:19):
>> Good evening and welcome to
Kentucky edition for Thursday,
November 6th. I'm Laura Rogers
in our Louisville studio,
filling in tonight for Renee
Shaw. Thank you for joining us.
Search and recovery efforts
continue today following the
UPS plane crash in Louisville.
Mayor Craig Greenberg says 12

(01:39):
people have died from the crash
and that nine people still
unaccounted for could be among
the dead. UPS has identified
the three crew members killed.
Captain Richard Wartenberg,
First Officer Lee Truitt and
Officer Dana Diamond. Our June
Leffler has the latest on the

(02:01):
crash.
>> If you do the math, we may
have identified. We may have
located all of the victims. Our
hope is that we have located
all of the victims at this
point. But again, we do not
know. The search will continue.

(02:22):
>> Three people were aboard the
plane when it struggled to get
off the ground Tuesday. New
dash cam video shows the plane
flying low to the ground
seconds before it crashed,
erupting in flames. The
National Transportation Safety
Board says the plane's left
wing caught fire and the engine
fell off moments after takeoff.

(02:44):
Congressman Morgan McGarvey of
Louisville Governor Andy
Beshear and the mayor toured
the crash site yesterday.
>> Half a mile long, standing
there where you could just see
the destruction, the charred,
mangled metal in some cases. At
that point, there were still
some smoke rising from piles of

(03:05):
debris, saw first responders
that were still working
intensely, most of whom had
just gotten to the scene, some
of whom, though had been there
since the night before that,
were still working, doing
whatever it takes to identify
victims.
>> Investigators say they
continued to monitor air
quality around the site.
>> From the National Guard,

(03:25):
came in and took over air
monitoring force, and they they
asked not only air monitored
around the area, but we gave
them several intersections
going north where the plume was
all the way towards the river.
And they those they were not
getting any significant air
monitoring readings for any
health hazards all the way to
the river. And that's why
through the night, we were able

(03:47):
to significantly reduce that
shelter in place area. Now to
what it is. It's just a quarter
mile, which really only
encompasses the site. They
always check for any kind of
explosive limits, any kind of
volatile or volatile organic
compounds. They check for
carbon monoxide. They check for
oxygen levels to make sure that
the oxygen levels are correct.
And like I said, away from that

(04:07):
site, they didn't get any
adverse readings.
>> The UPS handling facility at
the Muhammad Ali International
Airport is the company's
largest. It employs more than
20,000 people, handles 300
flights a day and sorts nearly
half a million packages an hour.
UPS says it's working with the
NTSB to investigate the crash.

(04:29):
For Kentucky Edition, I'm June
Leffler.
>> The NTSB says it's recovered
both the flight data recorder
and the cockpit voice recorder.
Information from both recorders
was successfully downloaded.
The NTSB does not release audio
from cockpit voice recorders,
but a partial transcript should

(04:50):
be available in the coming days.
Louisville's Worldport is the
headquarters for UPS Airlines
and the main flight training
center. Our Kelsey Starks sat
down with the spokesperson for
the Independent Pilots
Association, the group that
represents all UPS pilots.
>> Brian, good day is with the

(05:12):
Independent Pilots Association.
Thank you so much for being
here. And again, our thoughts
are with your UPS family right
now. Explain what it is the IPA
is and what what you all do
here in Louisville.
>> Well, thank you for having
me. So the Independent Pilots
Association is the collective
bargaining union unit or union

(05:33):
for pilots of United Parcel
Service. We have 3500 members
and they live all around the
country, but they fly for UPS
primarily out of four domiciles,
with Louisville being the
biggest, representing about
half of our pilot group.
>> Now, I know you can't talk
specifics about this particular
crash, but what can you tell us

(05:54):
about this point in the
investigation or what what you
all are hoping to learn from
the investigation?
>> So we can tell you, as we're
at the very beginning, as the
governor said at his press
conference about 24 hours ago,
we're moved from the rescue
stage to the recovery stage.
And as the NTSB press

(06:15):
conference occurred yesterday,
the IPA was made a party to the
investigation. So as happened
in 2013 with UPS flight 1354 in
Birmingham, our crew members,
our members of our union will
actually go on to those working
groups with the National
Transportation Safety Board and

(06:35):
help to help to do this
investigation.
>> And unfortunately, this is
not the first deadly plane
crash for UPS, but it is the
first to happen here at home in
Louisville, where you all are.
What what has that been like?
>> It's different. Our first
crash was in Dubai and so very

(06:56):
far away. Other side of the
world. Tragic loss of two crew
members. Same thing in
Birmingham 2013. Tragic loss of
two crew members. But this
one's at home and it really
hits home because of that. And
like I said in the last crashes
we lost the crews. Again,
tragic. But you know lose now

(07:17):
nine known civilians who just
happened to be at the wrong
place at the wrong time. And
with still 16 people
unaccounted for, this is I mean,
like I said, tragedy for
Louisville and tragedy for the
IPA and UPS.
>> Yeah, it is. I know a lot of
your pilots are highly trained.

(07:37):
Many of them are military or
ex-military. What? Tell us a
little bit about the training
that that goes into all of all
of these pilots.
>> Sure. And so what's
interesting about our pilot
group, for the most part, this
isn't your first job in in
aviation when you're hired by
UPS, you've been in the
military for 20 years. You've

(07:58):
been at other airlines for 20
years. You generally come here
in your mid 40s. So these are
very experienced pilots when
they come in the door. And then
beyond that they're well
trained pilots. So no matter
what fleet 747 757767 Md11 no
matter what fleet, these are
well trained, highly trained
and highly experienced pilots.

(08:20):
>> You mentioned too, about the
investigation and how we're at
the very beginning. And I know
you said also a lot of people
are looking at the horrific
video and pictures, and there's
a lot of speculation. Right.
And you've learned a few things
from being in this position a
while about speculation.
>> Yes. We don't speculate. But
again, having gone through this

(08:42):
in 2010 and 2013, what you find
is, is when the NTSB
investigation is allowed to
take its course and allowed to
reveal its reveal what happened
to the airplane, to the engines.
You know, what was the
experience of the flight crew
72 hours before the crash? What
was the weather? All sorts of

(09:03):
other factors. You know, the
picture really begins to come
together. Like for us in 2010,
we learned that, you know, the
cause was lithium ion batteries.
And because of that, working
with the company and a safety
task force, we were able to,
you know, get full face oxygen
masks. We were able to get a
system called Ivas, which
allows pilots to see in a smoke

(09:23):
filled cockpit. We were allowed
to get containers that
generally can contain a lithium
battery fire for two hours. So
hopefully the crew can find a
place to land and get down and
other changes. What we learned
from the 2013 flight in
Birmingham was that fatigue was
a contributing factor, and
that's something that we've
been aggressively trying to
address with not only the
company, but the federal

(09:44):
government and the FAA.
>> So best case here, you're
hoping that you do learn
something from this.
>> We will learn something from
this investigation.
>> Yeah. Talk talk a little bit
about the IPA and the support
that you all provide for for
the families affected by this
and the UPS family in general.

(10:06):
You know, people who weren't
there are still very much
impacted by a situation like
this.
>> Well, unfortunately, there
were a lot of UPS employees
that were present when this
happened was early in the
evening, five ish in the
afternoon, very active ramp,
meaning planes were taxiing and
planes were taxiing out. Planes
were loading up. First officers

(10:28):
were making their walk around
inspection of aircrafts, planes
were lining up to take off, and
then all of a sudden you have
this horrific accident take off.
So in that, in addition to all
the UPS teamster employees who
are working on the ramp, at the
time, there were a lot of
people there. There was a lot
of first person impact in
addition to what went on
downrange. As for the IPA

(10:50):
family, we do a great job of
taking care of our our members
while we fly out of for
domiciles Louisville, Anchorage,
and one in California and one
in Florida. You know, half of
all those people are fly out of
Louisville, Kentucky. So we
have a very good group that
reaches out to, you know, the

(11:11):
surviving spouse, the family
members, you know, not only for
the initial touch to, you know,
inform them of what is
unfortunately happened, but,
you know, making sure that we
follow up with them and then
providing resources to our
other members of the pilot
group in generally in a pilot
to pilot or spouse to spouse
way. Again, like a family.
>> Yeah. It is so much like a

(11:31):
family. And I know the whole
Louisville community feels a
part of that. What can the
community do right now to to
help?
>> I think more than anything
else, be patient. I mean, we're
still within the first 48 hours
since the crash. These are
hectic times. These are a lot
of, you know, a lot of
speculation, a lot of
unanswered questions, a lot of

(11:51):
people who are unfortunately
still missing. Just be patient.
I know that Teamsters Local 89
is holding a candlelight vigil
tonight. You know, it's those
those celebrations and
solidarity that mean a lot to
the pilot union as we go
through this and as we continue
once again down this
unfortunate path.
>> Thank you so much for your
time and for being here.

(12:12):
>> Thank you, Kelsey.
>> Appreciate it.
>> And that vigil is underway
right now at the Teamsters
Union Hall on Taylor Boulevard
in Louisville. The Louisville
airport will see fewer flights
tomorrow for reasons unrelated
to the UPS crash. The Federal
Aviation Administration says it
is reducing air traffic at 40

(12:34):
airports because of the
government shutdown. Airports
in both Louisville and Northern
Kentucky are on the FAA's list.
The agency says the move is
necessary to keep passengers
safe while relieving pressure
on air traffic controllers, who
are working without pay. During
the shutdown, more and more
employees have been missing

(12:54):
work and are scheduled to miss
their second paycheck next week.
Airports in New York, Los
Angeles and Chicago are also
impacted. A spokesperson for
the Louisville Muhammad Ali
International Airport told KET,
quote, we are in contact with
both our passenger and cargo
airline partners about their
schedules at SDF. However, we

(13:15):
do not have any specific
details at this time. In other
news, Governor Andy Beshear
says Democrats who won across
the country Tuesday had the
right message about issues
Americans care about. Democrats
won governors races in Virginia
and New Jersey, the mayor's

(13:35):
race in New York City and other
races. The governor talked
about it during his news
conference yesterday.
>> But what you saw across the
country where Democrats winning
in in city council races in
South Carolina, statewide races
in in Georgia, you saw the New
York race and many others. And

(13:57):
I think it says two things.
Number one, the American people
are so concerned about the
American dream slipping away.
They are looking for candidates
that are focused on their
everyday concerns and needs,
and that starts with their job
and whether they can afford
what they need to feed their
family. Maybe take them on a
vacation every once in a while.

(14:18):
The ability to to afford that
next doctor's appointment, to
be able to travel safe roads
and bridges to to know the
school they dropped their kids
off at is a quality school, and
they want to feel safe in their
neighborhoods. That's where the
Democratic candidates were.
That's how they ran, even even
across different parts of a

(14:39):
political spectrum. That's what
people were promising.
>> With these off year
elections behind us, the focus
shifts to next year's midterm
elections. Kentucky will elect
a new United States senator,
and there are elections in all
six of Kentucky's U.S. House
districts, in addition to races
for the Kentucky General
Assembly. When there is a

(15:02):
federally declared disaster.
One of the first groups on the
ground is the Small Business
Administration Office of
Disaster Assistance. It offers
low interest loans to small
businesses, as well as
homeowners and renters who need
financial help to recover after
a natural disaster. Our
McKenzie Spink tells us how
these loans impacted a

(15:22):
Kentuckian who lived through
the deadly tornado that hit the
Sunshine Hills neighborhood in
Laurel County.
>> The electric went off and it
got and then you could hear a
roar starting. So I went and
joined her in the closet, and
she was behind me, and I was
sitting in front of her. Then
the storm hit. It was a

(15:44):
deafening noise. I mean, it
just about bust your eardrums
and you could hear glass
breaking and the house coming
apart, and it was trying to
take us with it.
>> Now, over five months later,
Scott Stouffer and his wife are
the only people still living on
their street in the Sunshine
Hills neighborhood. Like many
of their neighbors, their house
was torn apart by the tornado.

(16:06):
Their homeowner's insurance
covered the repairs to the home,
but Stover's truck was a lost
cause.
>> I had a a Ford Platinum
truck, and it put a board
through the motor and it ripped
off the whole side of the truck.
I mean, it it destroyed it.
>> Stoffer travels across the
state for work, and after a

(16:27):
family member heard about the
Small Business Administration
through the London City Council,
Stoffer decided to apply for
one of its disaster assistance
loans to replace his truck. The
Small Business Administration's
disaster assistance team has
been present in the state since
the devastating floods back in
February. Despite the name of
the organization, a majority of

(16:49):
the disaster loans they offer
are to assist homeowners and
renters.
>> All of the loans that we
offer are funded by the U.S.
Treasury, and these are
disaster loans that are that
are targeted in the specific
counties and available to the
residents of those counties
that are affected by the storms.
>> The loans offered to
survivors of the May 16th

(17:10):
tornado in Laurel and Pulaski
counties totaled over $12
million of assistance, and over
90% of the loans were awarded
to homeowners. These disaster
assistance loans have lower
interest rates, which can make
a huge difference for
homeowners trying to put their
lives back together after a
disaster.
>> They're very low interest

(17:30):
rates. There are 4% and less,
and if and once they get all of
their paperwork into us, we're
going to look to see and they
sign their closing documents.
We're going to look to get that
first payment of up to $25,000
in their bank account within
five working days.
>> We asked for a little over
13,000, something like that,

(17:52):
and we got approved. And and I
highly recommend anybody that's
not got that loan. They ought
to look into it because you
don't have to pay it back for a
year. And the interest rate was
like 2.9, 2.3. It was
ridiculously low. So it was
something that we could afford.
>> The disaster assistance
loans can be used to repair

(18:13):
damaged homes, replace
belongings, or even relocate a
home to a safer area. Some of
the money can also be used to
strengthen property against
future storm damage.
>> You know, so it could be a
storm shelter. It could be a it
could be a seepage problem,
could be a sump pump, but also
to over the life of the loan,
if they need additional funds,

(18:34):
they can go back to their loan
officer. They can request
additional funds.
>> The window to file loans
because of physical damage done
by the May tornadoes is now
closed. But businesses that
experienced income loss due to
the storms can still apply for
economic injury loans. That
deadline is in April of 2026
for Kentucky edition. I'm

(18:55):
Mackenzie Spink.
>> A retired fire captain, is

(19:16):
suing the city of Paducah, and
Laurel County wants a stronger
relationship with the county's
kids. Our Toby Gibbs tells us
more. And this look at
headlines around Kentucky.
>> Paducah City Commission
voted to fire Captain Nathan

(19:37):
Torian of the Paducah Fire
Department October 3rd. Now
Torian is suing the city, the
commission, the city manager
and the fire chief. TV says the
commission fired Torian for
insubordination. In his lawsuit.
He says he was fired for
engaging in union activity and
complaining about public safety

(19:57):
issues. He wants his job back,
back pay damages and money for
attorney's fees. He says the
city violated his First
Amendment rights and the Fair
Labor Standards Act. Ron Bunch
has resigned as CEO of the
Bowling Green Area Chamber of
Commerce. Bunch had been CEO

(20:18):
since 2010, according to The
Paducah Sun. A press release
about the resignation does not
say why bunch is leaving.
Warren County Judge executive
Doug Gorman says bunch is a
passionate negotiator and
advocate for the community. The
chamber will appoint an interim
leader. There's a new way to
get to Virginia from part of

(20:40):
eastern Kentucky. The state
just dedicated U-S 460,
stretching from US 23 into
Virginia. The News Express says
part of the road is named for
Sergeant Thomas Epling, a
veteran of the Korean War. His
son in law is State Senator
Philip Wheeler of Pikeville,
who spoke at the dedication
ceremony, the Sentinel Echo

(21:01):
reports. The Laurel County
Sheriff's Office has launched
the Behind the Badge Youth
Program, a campaign to build
trust between the sheriff's
office and young people. The
program will start in January
with a meet the deputies event.
There will be events the second
Tuesday of each month on topics
including forensics, police
dogs, crime prevention and

(21:23):
anti-bullying efforts. With
headlines around Kentucky. I'm
Toby Gibbs.
>> There are almost 13,000
court ordered evictions each
year in Kentucky. A majority of
all families with children.

(21:45):
Advocates say those children
can suffer negative physical
and mental health outcomes, and
can even find it difficult to
secure housing once they become
adults. A new database launched
by Kentucky Youth Advocates is
tracking evictions across the
state, and it has the backing
of a state lawmaker who plans
to present a bill she says will

(22:05):
reduce the long term
consequences of evictions.
>> We know that evictions in
general impact Kentucky kids
pretty significantly in their
families. Most evictions
involve at least one child.
Across the Commonwealth of
Kentucky, and when evictions
happen, we know that it causes
instability for the child. It

(22:26):
can create pressures around
access to nutritious food,
access to education, access to
health care. So it has a ripple
effect across the entire family
and across what children have
access to in order for them to
be safe and stable.
Representative Whitten will be
filing a bill for the 2026

(22:46):
legislative session that is
related to expunging eviction
dismissals. So if somebody gets
an eviction filed against them
but it doesn't, it's not
completed because it's
addressed otherwise and
somebody doesn't actually
experience an eviction that
still stays on the record. So
allowing for eviction,
dismissals, dismissals to be

(23:08):
expunged can ensure that there
was more access to housing for
families. And then we also know
that right now, minors are
being identified on those
evictions, and we know that one
that shouldn't be happening.
And and really, oftentimes the
intent is not to name minors.
But sometimes that happens. And
right now there's no mechanism

(23:30):
to remove their names.
>> It's so important to make
sure that we don't put up
unnecessary barriers for
Kentuckians, and especially
Kentucky Kentuckians with small
children, to have access to, to,
you know, affordable housing.
This has been really narrowly

(23:50):
crafted to to not burden the,
the, the, the landlord in any
way. He he they have every
right to if they are owed past
rent or anything like that,
they still have that ability to
do so.
>> The hope.
>> With this.
>> Eviction dashboard is that

(24:10):
it. Creates opportunities for
individuals to talk to their
policymakers, especially their
state legislators, about the
what they're seeing in their
community and in their district
when it comes to families who
are facing eviction, the
prevalence of eviction, and
opportunities to make some
changes to the way that we

(24:31):
support families when it comes
to housing and create more
access. One, to ensure, you
know, what Representative
Whitten had talked about is
making sure that there's enough
supply, right? Because that's
really important. We are short
on units, but also making sure
that we have some really common
sense measures that are not
creating unnecessary barriers
for families to access housing.

(24:52):
>> We really think that we've
we've walked through it and,
and have vetted it. And so
we're really we're really proud
of the language. And we really
think that it's it's just good
legislation that needs to pass
this year.
>> And you can view the
Eviction Data dashboard and
learn more information about

(25:14):
evictions at the web address on
your screen. A continuing
government shutdown and
uncertainty over Snap benefits
have many Kentucky families
worried about where their next
meal will come from. One local
nonprofit is helping relieve

(25:34):
some of that anxiety.
>> This is across the board.
Even if you're experiencing a
crisis due to the rising cost
of living affordability, there
is really no barrier or
obstructions to being able to
receive this support.
>> Tomorrow on Kentucky Edition.

(25:54):
How this ag based organization
is putting fresh food on the
table for families facing food
insecurity. We'll have that
story and many others tomorrow
night at 630 eastern, 530
central for Kentucky Edition,
where we inform, connect and
inspire. We hope that you'll
join us again on Friday. In the

(26:14):
meantime, subscribe to our
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newsletters. You can watch full
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Public Affairs at ket.org and
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