Death Toll From UPS Plane Crash Rises To 15

A Cuban immigrant died from the severe burns he suffered when the plane hit the Kentucky scrapyard where he worked.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Cuban immigrant who had built a new life working at a Kentucky scrapyard died on Christmas Day from severe burns suffered in last month’s UPS cargo plane crash, raising the death toll to 15, officials said.

Alain Rodriguez Colina was on the ground when the plane, fully loaded with fuel for a flight to Hawaii, plowed into businesses after departing Louisville’s airport, exploding in a massive fireball. Gov. Andy Beshear and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg confirmed his death via social media.

“May Alain’s memory be a blessing,” the mayor said late Thursday.

Three pilots and multiple people died after the plane’s left engine detached during takeoff on Nov. 4, and cracks were later found where the engine connected to the wing, the National Transportation Safety Board said. Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport is home the largest UPS package delivery hub.

Colina, a Cuban immigrant, had worked at the nearby Grade A Auto Parts & Recycling since 2023, moving up rapidly to the position of metal buyer, said owner and CEO Sean Garber in a phone interview Friday. Colina embraced the company’s culture and life in Louisville and even became a University of Kentucky fan. His mother and siblings lived in the area and he had a daughter in Cuba, he said.