Repeating bell sounded inside cockpit seconds before deadly UPS plane crash, NTSB says

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE/Gray News) — A repeating bell sounded inside the cockpit as pilots tried to control a UPS cargo plane during takeoff before it crashed Tuesday.

National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said Friday that a repeating bell on the cockpit voice recorder began about 37 seconds after the crew called for takeoff thrust.

The bell continued for 25 seconds until the recording ended, which investigators believe marks the moment of final impact.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, told the Associated Press that the bell likely was signaling the engine fire.

“It occurred at a point in the takeoff where they were likely past their decision speed to abort the takeoff,” Guzzetti said. “They were likely past their critical decision speed to remain on the runway and stop safely. … They’ll need to thoroughly investigate the options the crew may or may not have had.”

The crash killed 14 people, including the three pilots on board.

The plane’s left engine caught fire and detached during the critical V2-to-roll phase. The pilots were about to abort the takeoff when the plane rolled and crashed into two businesses.

The crew completed its standard checklist and briefings in preparation for the flight, and the takeoff roll was uneventful through the various speed callouts, according to Inman.

Inman said the NTSB will review the recording and prepare a transcript, and the agency will release it only after most reports on the crash are made public, a process expected to take several months.