Lawsuits allege wrongful death of women killed when UPS plane crashed in Louisville
The first wrongful death lawsuits are expected to be filed Wednesday in the fiery UPS plane crash that left at least 14 people dead and 23 injured in Louisville last month.
The lawsuits will be filed in state court on behalf of the families of Angela Anderson, 45, and Trinadette “Trina” Chavez, 37, the Clifford Law Offices of Chicago and Louisville attorney Sam Aguiar announced Tuesday.
Anderson was a customer at the metal scrapping center Grade A Recycling when the plane crashed, her boyfriend told WDRB.
Chavez was a mother of two and an employee at Grade A Auto Parts, one of the businesses destroyed by the crash, according to a news release from the attorneys.
The MD-11 McDonnell Douglas cargo plane bound for Honolulu, Hawaii, crashed during takeoff Nov. 4 when the left engine detached, killing the three crew members on board, as well as at least 11 people on the ground.
“The lawsuits allege negligence against UPS, UPS AIR, and also name GE, the engine manufacturer; Boeing, which acquired McDonnell Douglas, the original manufacturer of the MD-11; and VT San Antonio Aerospace, Inc., the company responsible for certain inspections and maintenance before the crash,” the release states.
Clifford Law Offices is known for handling aviation-related litigation, including representing families of some of the victims of Comair Flight 5191 in Lexington.
Aguiar was also one of the attorneys who represented Breonna Taylor’s family in a lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department.
The attorneys said they plan to hold a news conference with their clients in Louisville Wednesday.
MD-11s have been grounded from service because of the crash, and the president of UPS Airlines has said it could be months before inspections and repairs are complete.
Boeing recommended that carriers ground the planes after the Louisville crash, and the Federal Aviation Administration issued an “emergency airworthiness directive” Nov. 8 that “prohibits further flight until the airplane is inspected and all applicable corrective actions are performed.”
A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board said there were fatigue cracks and signs of overstress in the lugs that bolted together the aft mount that attached the left pylon to the wing of the plane that crashed in Louisville.
Attorney Robert Clifford said in the release that the crash reminded him of a case he handled on behalf of crash victims 46 years ago, when the left engine detached from an American Airlines passenger jet.
“The report reveals an extreme similarity between the crash in Louisville and the May 1979 DC-10 crash of American Airlines Flight 191 in Chicago, killing 271 aboard,” he said in the release. “What is new about this case is the age of the aircraft suggests that this plane was old, tired, and well beyond its useful life…certainly triggering questions about profit over safety.”
The attorneys said in the release that “central questions remain about whether key components were kept in service too long and why the systems intended to prevent such disasters failed to function as required.”
“Through these lawsuits, we aim to get the answers that these family members deserve for their heartbreaking losses,” Aguiar said in the release.
While the suits to be filed Wednesday are the first alleging wrongful death, they are not the first lawsuits filed in connection with the crash.
Just days after the crash, Morgan & Morgan filed a federal class action lawsuit against UPS and other companies on behalf of businesses and residents affected by the crash.
“When an engine detaches from a large cargo jet during takeoff, and the aircraft bursts into a fireball visible for miles, an entire community is affected,” Bradley Cosgrove, a partner at Clifford Law, said in the release. “Innocent lives are lost, leaving deep holes in families. Impacted survivors are left with injuries and lifelong scars, with their normal lives shattered by an explosion that many people compared to a bomb going off next door. This tragedy is an unacceptable event that indicates a catastrophic failure across numerous safety systems. Clifford Law Offices is committed to securing justice and providing answers for the affected families.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 7:14 PM.
