Louisville plane crash update as three pilots killed in horror fireball pictured

12 people have been confirmed dead, including a child, following the incident (Image: Getty)

Three pilots who were killed in the devastating Louisville plane crash have been pictured for the first time. UPS confirmed on Thursday that Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond were operating the aircraft when disaster struck.

The plane crashed at 5.15pm local time on Tuesday, killing 13 with nine people still missing. Truitt's LinkedIn revealed that had been flying with UPS since 2021, and had previously worked as an airline captain at SkyWest Airlines and as a flight instructor in New Mexico. "It is with great sorrow that we share the names of the UPS pilots on board UPS Flight 2976. Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond were operating the flight," UPS said in its statement.

Capt. Richard Wartenberg (Image: )

Capt.First Officer Lee Truitt (Image: )

The statement added: “Words can’t express the sorrow we feel over the heartbreaking Flight 2976 accident.

“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.’”

Among those still missing is mum of two Angela ‘Angie’ Anderson. The 45-year-old was getting rid of scrap metal at Grade A Auto Parts & Scrap Metal Recycling shortly after 5pm when the plane exploded in a massive fireball. 

Her boyfriend, Donald Henderson, 55, told WDRB: “She wanted to take it, get rid of it, and I was like, ‘Go, go ahead. So she took off.

“She’s all I got."

UofL Health officials said Wednesday the hospital had received 15 patients who were injured in the crash, and two remain in critical condition.

Capt. Dana Diamond was also aboard the UPS cargo jet when the crash happened (Image: )

Angela ‘Angie’ Anderson, 45, is one of nine people still missing (Image: facebook/@aanderson1979)

Father of two Matt Sweets has suffered burns on more than 95% of his body according to a GoFundMe fundraiser.

The fundraiser reads: “Matt was severely burned on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, when he was caught in the fireball aftermath of the UPS plane crash in Louisville.

“He is currently in critical condition and faces a long road of recovery and rehabilitation. We are praying hard and holding on to every bit of hope God gives us.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg visited the crash site and described the scene as "horrific," with "charred, mangled metal" strewn about the impact area.

“You hear people say, ‘Oh, you only see that in the movies.’ This was worse than the movies,” Greenberg told reporters.

The plane exploded into a massive fireball (Image: Getty)

The plane erupted into a fireball shortly after taking off on Tuesday. The inferno consumed the enormous plane and spread to nearby businesses, leaving little hope of finding survivors in the charred area of the crash at UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub.

The UPS cargo plane reached an altitude of around 175 feet and then began to fall sharply, according to flight data tracker Flightradar24.

The crash sparked 'secondary explosions' at a petroleum recycling plant containing tanks of propane and oil, but some of those explosions were relief valves releasing pressure as they are designed to do.