Doting grandpa and his adorable granddaughter, 3, among latest victims named after UPS plane crash that killed 13

A grandfather and his three-year-old granddaughter were named as the latest victims after a deadly UPS plane crash in Kentucky that killed 13 people.

The Boeing MD-11 plane exploded shortly after departing from Kentucky’s Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville on Tuesday.

Louisnes Fedon and his three-year-old granddaughter, Kimberly Asa, have been identified as two of the victims, according to a family friend who spoke with ABC13. 

Fedon, a father of four and grandfather of three, regularly visited a scrapyard near the airport to collect metal as a source of income.   

The family friend remembered him as ‘simply an angel on earth’, someone who helped raise ‘a whole village’.

Another victim was also identified as Matt Sweets who survived the initial explosion but later succumbed to his injuries after 95 per cent of his body was burned. 

A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help support the family with financial costs, as Sweets was their sole provider. 

The aircraft’s three crew members are also believed to be among the dead, according to officials.

UPS identified the pilots on board the flight as Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond.

They were all killed upon impact when the flight erupted into a fireball as it crashed through industrial buildings.

Wartenberg, 58, was from northern Kentucky, and was known for being a car enthusiast.

A 2022 article from the Bent Pylon – a publication of the Porsche Club of America – noted that he was a member of the Ohio Valley Region chapter, and had been for 20 years.

The Taj Kreuzers SpeedFest in Ohio also shared on social media that Wartenberg was ‘a close friend’.

‘You may have seen him at several of our many Speedfest events,’ the organization wrote. ‘He brought his warm smile and great conversation with him whenever he attended.

‘The aviation world and car enthusiast world will certainly miss him.’ 

Truitt, meanwhile, had previously worked at Bode Aviation and was on the Airport Advisory Board in Albuquerque, New Mexico, KOB reports. He then joined UPS in 2021, according to KOAT. 

Others remain missing, including mother-of-two Angela ‘Angie’ Anderson, 45, of Louisville, who may have perished in the fire.

She had been getting rid of scrap metal at Grade A Auto Parts & Scrap Metal Recycling at the time, and has not been seen or heard from since.

Earlier on Thursday, officials reported that nine people were still missing as crews searched through half a mile of charred, mangled debris for additional crash victims. 

‘It’s been a long 36 hours of tragedy,’ Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said at a Thursday press conference.’ 

‘Words can’t express the sorrow we feel over the heartbreaking Flight 2976 accident,’ Nando Cesarone, the UPS executive vice president for U.S. and UPS Airlines, said in a statement on Thursday. 

‘Our hearts go out to every UPSer who has been impacted and all in our Louisville community — supporting you and ensuring you receive the care and resources you need is our priority.’ 

Video shared on social media showed the aircraft attempting to take off with a ball of fire emanating from its left wing. Just moments later, the plane exploded. 

Dashcam footage also showed the plane crashing back into the runway, leaving a blaze in its wake.

It struck two local businesses, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and Grade A Autoparts, which were said to have accounted for all employees.

There were three crew members onboard the flight at the time, UPS officials have confirmed. But it is unclear whether they were among the fatalities.

The plane was also fueled with 38,000 gallons at the time, due to the lengthy trip to Hawaii, sparking a fire that spread to cover five miles.