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Christmas Day Death Brings UPS Crash Toll to 15

Latest victim, Alain Rodriguez Colina, was auto shop worker injured on the ground in Louisville
Posted Dec 26, 2025 6:34 AM CST
UPS Crash Toll Hits 15 After Christmas Day Death
This photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows UPS plane crash scene on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025 in Louisville, Ky.   (NTSB via AP)

The death toll from last month's UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky has grown to 15 after a worker injured on the ground died on Christmas Day. Alain Rodriguez Colina worked at Grade A Auto Parts, one of two businesses hit when UPS Flight 2976 went down shortly after taking off from Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport, reports WLKY. He had been hospitalized since the Nov. 4 crash, which destroyed parts of the auto shop and a nearby petroleum recycling facility. The plane's three crew members and 11 people on the ground were killed initially. Another two dozen were injured.

The left engine of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 separated from the wing during takeoff, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, per the New York Times. Investigators said a metal bracket designed to secure the engine had fractured in two places, though it could take up to two years for the NTSB to release its final report on the crash, notes CBS News. The plane went airborne briefly, reaching only about 30 feet before crashing into the adjacent industrial area.

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