UPS has officially announced that Captain Doug Lampe of Louisville, Kentucky, and First Officer Matthew Bell of Sanford, Florida, lost their lives in the crash of Flight 6 on Sept. 3, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The two pilots were flying a Boeing 747-400, heading to Germany when it crashed near Dubai International Airport shortly after takeoff. Captain Lampe, 48, had been with UPS since 1995, and First Officer Bell, 38, was with UPS since 2006. Both crew members flew out of UPS's Anchorage, Alaska pilot base.
The Civil Aviation Authority of United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued a preliminary report on Saturday, indicating that the UPS cargo plane informed the tower that it was having radio problems, and the crew had detected smoke in the cockpit shortly after takeoff. The pilot and first officer were attempting to maintain altitude and return to Dubai's main airport — the Mideast's busiest — when the plane went down.
Jere Downs and Larry Muhammad report in Sunday’s Courier-Journal that Cpt. Lampe lived with his wife Cindy in the Louisville suburb of Prospect, and that Rev. Dave Stone, pastor of Southeast Christian Church, remembered parishioner Lampe as a family man who “…served others and a man who loved the Lord.” “Nobody has to worry about where he is for eternity,” Stone said.
UPS spokesman Mike Mangeot said some relatives of the crew members were en route Saturday to Dubai to accompany their loved ones' remains home. He said UPS released Lampe's and Bell's names at family members' request. “All of us at UPS extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of these crew members,” UPS CEO Scott Davis said in a statement.
United Parcel Service issued the following news release concerning the Dubai tragedy:
At the request of the families, UPS can now confirm that two of our crewmembers, Captain Doug Lampe of Louisville, Kentucky, and First Officer Matthew Bell of Sanford, Florida, lost their lives in the crash of Flight 6 yesterday, Sept. 3, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The two pilots were flying a 747-400 en route to Cologne, Germany, when it crashed near Dubai International Airport shortly after takeoff.
“This is a terrible tragedy, and all of us at UPS extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of both of these crewmembers,” said UPS CEO Scott Davis. “Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with them during this difficult time.”
The UPS Family Assistance Team is working with the victims’ families to help them in their time of need.
Captain Lampe, 48, has been with UPS since 1995. First Officer Bell, 38, has been with UPS since 2006. Both crewmembers flew out of UPS’s Anchorage, Alaska domicile, or pilot base.
The aircraft, tail number N571UP, was just three years old, entering UPS service off the Boeing production line in September 2007. The airframe had flown 9977 hours, completing 1764 takeoffs and landings. It was up to date on all maintenance, having just completed a major inspection in June 2010.
UPS owns 12 747-400s, eight of which are new, and four of which have been purchased from other carriers and adapted for UPS use. The aircraft, which has a payload capacity of nearly 258,600 pounds, is used on long-range international routes, such as the regular Dubai-Cologne routing.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is dispatching an aviation investigation team to assist the General Civil Aviation Authority (GACC) of the United Arab Emirates in the crash investigation. The GCAA will take the lead on the investigation and release all information on the progress of the investigation.
NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman has designated senior air safety investigator Bill English as the U.S. accredited representative. His team will include NTSB specialists in the areas of human performance, fire, operations and systems. The team will also include technical advisors from the FAA, Boeing, UPS, GE and the Independent Pilots Association.
A UPS team has arrived in Dubai at this time and will cooperate with authorities in the investigation.
“We established an internal command center within minutes of learning of this tragedy. It will be staffed around the clock with experts from every part of our operation,” said UPS Airlines President Bob Lekites. “Safe, secure operations are our top priorities for our employees, our customers, and our public stakeholders.”
For the latest information on this incident, visit www.pressroom.ups.com, or call our reporter hot line at 502-329-0110.
Learn more: WAVE-3 video interview
Previous article: UPS cargo plane crashes near Dubai airport; 2 crewmembers killed
----------------
TWO FOR ONE SPECIAL: Would you like Louisville Public Policy Examiner and Louisville City Hall Examiner articles delivered fresh to your inbox each day? It’s totally FREE, and no salesman will call. Your email address will not be shared with anyone. Ever. And you won’t have to worry about those pesky little plastic bags on your front porch. And remember, all Examiner articles are made from 100% recycled electrons.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO LOUISVILLE PUBLIC POLICY EXAMINER
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO LOUISVILLE CITY HALL EXAMINER
Comments
var sc_project=5816612;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="dac6896d";
Shame on you UPS. It is all about the money. I lived in Louisville and have friends that work there. UPS has lain off a lot of its maintenance personnel. The other item that may have made a difference was the smoke hood that was recommended, However UPS did mot use because of the cost. Now UPS will slowly put the hoods in the planes and the person who stopped it will have a good excuse and will probably get promoted.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!