UPS put profits over plane safety, lawyer alleges

A deadly UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky stemmed from corporate choices that favored profits over safety, according to a lawyer who filed two wrongful death lawsuits Wednesday, which allege the company kept flying older aircraft without increasing maintenance beyond what’s regularly scheduled.

- By JEFFREY COLLINS

Federal officials said last month's fiery crash of the MD-Is jet happened during takeoff after the engine on the left wing detached and flew off. Cracks were found where the engine connected to the wing, according to the National Transportation Safety Board report.

The cracks show the now-grounded MD-lls, which average more than 30 years old, are too dangerous for package delivery companies to keep in the air , said Robert Clifford, a lawyer who has represented plane crash victims for more than 45 years.

The plane that crashed “was old, tired and should have been never taken out of mothballs,” Clifford said. Saving money by keeping older planes in the air and not increasing the number of inspections “is putting profits over safety,” Clifford added.

UPS and General Electric, which made the plane’s engines and is also being sued, said in a statements that safety is a top priority as they assist the federal investigation, and extended their heartfelt sympathies to the families of those killed. They said they do not comment on pending lawsuits.