Media members tour Louisville plane crash site, rebuilding ongoing

By David Mattingly, WAVE

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – More information is now available regarding the recent fatal UPS plane crash in Kentucky.

According to a report by WAVE, media outlets were given a tour of the site in Louisville as the rebuilding of the area resumes.

Currently, two large wreaths sit in a gravel lot on the property of Grade A Auto Parts.

They display the names of the people who died on site in the fiery crash of a UPS jet.

Jody Meiman, executive director of Louisville Metro Emergency Services, says, “We did locate victims on both sides of the road, and then, you know, we found 10 on this side of the road to your back, and then we found three on this side, and then there were two obviously that unfortunately passed away at the hospital.”

Meiman was the guide for the first look at what remains on the mile-long path of destruction left from that night 10 weeks ago.

Even those who have been on location multiple times say it is a lot to take in.

Assistant chief Jeff Carlson with the Okolona Fire Department says, “There’s a sadness but humbling. I feel sorry for the families that lost their loved ones, but there is some sadness out here and but also there was a lot of teamwork and effort to help get normal life as normal as it can be for us back.”

Driving down Grade Lane, it’s hard to believe that 4 feet of oil once covered part of the roadway, some of it on fire.

Now, plastic sheets and barriers line the roads as part of the environment remediation.

Pieces of the aircraft have been removed, but stacks of scorched and rusted metal remain.

The sound of heavy machinery is constant, with no end in sight to a complete recovery.

When asked about the recovery period, Meiman says, “We don’t know. That’s a standard thing I know I’ve said. But we just don’t know. We want to make sure it’s done right. We don’t want to rush anything and make sure everything’s done correctly.”