Pilot from Albuquerque was killed in UPS plane crash in Kentucky

When a UPS plane burst into flames shortly after takeoff at a Louisville, Kentucky, airport Tuesday, it left at least 13 people dead and families across the nation mourning.

Lee Truitt, one of three pilots onboard, was an Albuquerque native and University of New Mexico graduate, earning a bachelor’s degree in 2006 in Spanish language and literature.

The 45-year-old had worked for UPS for four years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also listed himself as a public radio volunteer at KUNM and is listed on the radio station’s website as “host” of the Freeform program.

Truitt occasionally DJ’d for the radio station starting in 2022, according to operations manager Steven Emmons.

“He had a wide knowledge of music and he brought it to the airwaves on afternoons a few times,” Emmons said. “He was just a really nice guy and very passionate about a lot of different types of music. The last show he did was very guitar player-centric and he was into electronic music, like techno.”

Emmons said Truitt didn’t regularly DJ at KUNM because he had a demanding work schedule as a pilot.

Two other UPS pilots, Capt. Richard Wartenberg and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond, also died in the crash.

The cause of the crash is still unknown and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

Truitt’s family did not respond to calls for comment Thursday but gave the number to an attorney in Albuquerque. The attorney did not respond to calls for comment.

UPS did not respond to calls or emails with additional questions.

Those killed in the crash also included one child, The Associated Press reported. Nine people remain unaccounted for, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said at a news conference Thursday.

The official number of victims is unclear and authorities in Louisville said it would take time for the death toll to be finalized.

The plane departed the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport around 5:15 p.m. The flight’s destination was Honolulu, Hawaii, according to a news release from UPS.

Video from the crash showed the plane’s left wing erupt in flames as the plane left a trail of smoke behind it. Shortly after, video from a separate camera showed the plane slam into a business, leaving a large explosion in its wake.

“Our hearts go out to every UPSer who has been impacted and all in our Louisville community — supporting you and ensuring you receive the care and resources you need is our priority,” said Nando Cesarone, UPS executive vice president, in a statement Thursday. “This continues to be an incredibly sad time for our entire UPS family, and as our CEO, Carol Tomé reminded us: ‘United, we are strong.’”

Preliminary flight data showed that at the last reporting time, the plane was at 475 feet of altitude before it crashed, NTSB board member Todd Inman said during a news conference Thursday.

“We found multiple pieces of engine fan blades, along with the main component of the engine... which is on the left side of the aircraft,” Inman said. “Yesterday we had recovered the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.”

Inman said the MD-11 plane had previously been in San Antonio, Texas, for maintenance work for roughly six weeks.