NTSB shares early finds from the field, ADS-B and data recorders in deadly UPS cargo plane crash

UPDATE 3:30 PM FRIDAYIn a final on-site media briefing, the NTSB's Todd Inman shared details about what they have recovered from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the airport grounds. Earlier in the day, the board posted a drone video to its YouTube channel showing the charred crash scene and flight path. Investigators continued to comb the area for clues, locating more pieces of the engine.The bulk of the left-engine pylon was still connected to the engine when it detached from the wing, Inman said. He also clarified that the 475-foot altitude recorded by ADS-B translated to about 100 feet above ground level. During the two-hour CVR recording, Inman said, the crew proceeded through their pre-flight checklist and briefings. Through the callouts as the aircraft built up speed, the take-off roll was uneventful, he said. Roughly 37 seconds after the call for takeoff thrust, a repeating bell ringing in the cockpit persists until the end of the recording, 25 seconds later. During those final moments, Inman said, the crew "engaged in efforts," trying to control the plane. The original story from Thursday continues below.With the number of those killed in Tuesday's crash of a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 UPS cargo jet standing at 13 nearly 48 hours after the disaster, the NTSB provided an update on its first full day of investigating - underlining that, above all, its top concern is the same as that of local responders and victims' families - finding the nine people unaccounted for. "Let me stress one thing: Our first and foremost priority is the recovery of those who are still missing," said NTSB member Todd Inman. "This investigation is not impeding that in any way. They deserve to be treated with dignity and with respect that they've earned." Working late into the night on Tuesday, the board determined the parties to assist in the probe of the crash - the FAA, UPS, the Independent Pilots Association (IPA), the Teamsters for UPS mechanics, Boeing Aerospace and GE Aerospace - all joined by more than 30 NTSB members in Louisville and even more in Washington, DC. The FDR and CVR from UPS Flight 2976 provided by the NTSB.The board also shared what investigators have gathered so far from ADS-B data provided by the FAA, a FOD (foreign object debris) walkthrough on the accident runway at Louisville International Muhammad Ali Airport (SDF), and what data have been pulled from the flight data and cockpit voice recorders (FDR and CVR). "We consider this a good extraction with good datapoints," Inman said. The FDR contained 63 hours of data from 24 flights, and the CVR had two hours of audio on it. Both recorders captured the accident flight. The ADS-B data stopped at 17:13:32 (5:13 p.m. and 32 seconds), which lines up within seconds of timestamps from civilian dashcam videos shared on the internet showing the fireball at impact from several angles, some only a couple of hundred feet away, based on identifiable markers in the video matched to satellite imagery. The MD-11 was at 475 feet in altitude, traveling at 183 knots in the final ADS-B recording. Among the processes the NTSB will now undertake will include compiling the data from the recorders with the videos and other evidence to create a more exact timeline of what happened in the moments leading up to the crash. During a FOD walk (foreign object debris) along the accident runway (17 L/R) on Wednesday, Inman said they recovered "multiple pieces" of engine fan blades, as well as the main component of the No. 1 (left) engine. Airport video reviewed by investigators showed flames on the left wing of the plane and the left engine detaching during its takeoff roll. Three crew members were on board the flight, scheduled to fly to Daniel K Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu. Inman noted while taking questions from reporters that the aircraft had spent a couple of weeks in San Antonio, Texas, roughly a month ago. "We will move forward and look at every piece of maintenance done," he said. He also addressed whether the accident flight had faced delays before the accident flight due to maintenance (UPS told investigators it had not) and whether the plane the crew had been scheduled to fly had been swapped just before the flight. "With cargo operations, it doesn't happen very quickly," he said, "if you have to move a lot of cargo and other things." Inman also addressed the age of the aircraft and the extensive updates and checks such aircraft need, vowing to validate those records, and said the board "will have no problems making recommendations immediately" if the investigation uncovers any safety concerns about the MD-11.PREVIOUS STORY: Engine separated from flaming wing in UPS cargo plane crash that killed at least 12Inman said it would be "at least another day or two" before the NTSB would be able to release any sort of a transcript from the FDR and noted that the board does not release CVR audio. Spatial intelligence firm Vantor shared before-and-after satellite photos of the crash site on Thursday (top of this page), and Inman talked about how what he saw from the ground on the same day could not be fully captured from above. "Whenever you're standing there, you can see burnt trees, you can see molten -" he said, not finishing the sentence. "While we were there, one of the other engines was very prominently positioned, but it's a large item that will need crane work to be able to bring in."