Grade A Recycling owner Sean Garber said after reading the NTSB’s latest report, he believes the crash was “avoidable.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Grade A Recycling was hit harder than any other business south of Louisville’s airport when UPS Flight 2976 crashed Nov. 4.
Three Grade A employees died, along with several more customers who were at the facility.
Owner Sean Garber said the three employees who died — Trina Chavez, Megan Washburn and John Loucks — all stayed late that night.
“Our people were doing the extra mile, ’cause they were committed,” he said.
After reviewing the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report released Thursday, which identified “fatigue cracks” around the left engine pylon, Garber expressed frustration.
“It just doesn’t sit right when you have loss of life, loss on business, so many people whose lives impacted on a matter that is clearly avoidable,” Garber said.
Garber has not ruled out a potential lawsuit against UPS. He said it’s unknown when he’ll be allowed back at Grade A Recycling, citing environmental cleanup.
Customer describes harrowing escape
Clifton Smith was a regular customer at the recycling business. He was there when the plane came down.
“Some kind of blast of momentum knocked everyone in the building over,” Smith said. “You could see nothing but fire coming towards the entrance and all the windows.”
He narrowly escaped through a window.
“We had to dive out of a window. Up and out of a window,” Smith recalled. “And everything behind us just kept exploding, we ran for maybe a quarter mile towards the landfill back there, Waste Management.”
He remains haunted by what happened.
“Those were real people in there,” Smith said. “I don’t sleep well.”
He’s grateful to the man who helped him escape the crash site.
“And if Will’s watching, man. Thank you, bro,” Smith told WHAS11 viewers.
Smith also lost his truck and trailer he used for scrapping in the fire. He’s working with UPS insurance adjusters on a replacement, leaving him out of work.