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.
Last month’s fiery crash happened during takeoff after the plane’s left engine detached, and cracks were later found where the engine connected to the wing, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The lawsuit also names General Electric, which made the plane’s engine. Both UPS and GE said they don’t comment on pending lawsuits, but safety remains their top priority as they assist the federal investigation.
Robert Clifford, a lawyer representing two of the victims killed on the ground, said those cracks show the MD-11 jets, which average more than 30 years old, are too dangerous for package delivery companies to keep in the air. The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all MD-11s, which had been exclusively hauling cargo for more than a decade…