DENVER — Broomfield freshman Bella Barajas was conflicted at the state wrestling tournament Saturday evening.
Standing inside the tunnels at Ball Arena, now in street clothes, she beamed when asked about her sister, Shayla Martinez, the early headlining champion who had just won her second straight 5A girls 190-pound title.
As for Barajas’ own tournament — where she’d placed sixth at 170 pounds — her face momentarily fell before finding some consolation.
DENVER — Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez caps a perfect season, winning her second straight state title at 5A girls 190 pounds at Ball Arena on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Photo by Brent W. New/BoCoPreps)
“She placed (on the podium) her first season, and then went on to win twice,” Barajas said of Martinez. “I want to be wrestling for the top of the podium next year with her. I want to follow in her footsteps.”
Barajas eventually caved and said she was proud of herself for making the podium in her first season. But she was more interested in talking about her sister — the athlete and mentor.
Big sister was listening in.
“She wants to follow in my footsteps, I heard her say,” Martinez said as she shook her head and smiled, watching Barajas as she disappeared into the distance. “I want her to create her own footsteps for other people to follow and look up to.”
Martinez then paused. For the first time since winning gold Saturday, her eyes welled up with tears.
“My sister — she’s a hard worker,” Martinez continued. “She’s a three-sport athlete. I want her to keep her head up high. I’m so proud of her.”
Of course, Martinez would characterize the joy of winning her second straight state title largely through the fact that she got to wrestle on the same team as her sister.
But she could’ve framed it in many ways: like the fact that she called her shot to repeat an entire year ago, before she’d even left Ball Arena after last season’s state tournament.
This winter, she went on to declare that winning a second straight state title wouldn’t be enough — it needed to be on the back of an undefeated campaign.
“So last year she had one loss,” Broomfield first-year girls wrestling coach Luci Schement said last month when she was told Martinez put her undefeated goal in the public sphere. “And so this year, she wanted to come back better.”
Martinez never wavered. She finished a perfect 40-0 as a junior, registering 34 pins — 12 of which came inside the first 30 seconds of the match.
At the state tournament, she pinned everyone, sticking Loveland’s Abigail Stearns in the exact same time as she did in last year’s final — 63 seconds.
With her hand raised in victory Saturday, Martinez put up two fingers to signify the repeat.
She needed a few more to count all of the people she said helped her reach this moment.
She thanked the Broomfield boys team, whom she wrestled with, along with the girls team, during the season.
She highlighted the Eagles community and the one at Brighton High School, her training grounds during the offseason. (She even donned a half-and-half sweatshirt split between Broomfield and Brighton High School before and after her finals match.)
“Matilda Hruby,” Martinez said, naming Brighton’s 155-pound girls wrestler, who’d later wrestle in the night’s most anticipated match. Hruby was attempting to win her third title against Pomona’s Timberly Martinez, who was eyeing her fourth.
“I’ve been working with her for a long time and she really pushed me to be the best version of myself,” she added. “She got me here. I’m not going to lie.”
Martinez — who attends Monarch High — then cracked a wry smile, “I want to be like Matilda but create my own path, you know?”
That’s right. Even on her biggest day in the sport, Martinez couldn’t go long without thinking of her younger sister.
“She’s young. She’s our baby,” Martinez said. “I told her to keep her head up high and move forward. Like, ‘You’re still a champion in my eyes.’”
As for Martinez herself?
Well, she called her shot. Again.
“I’m coming for it all,” she said. “I meet hard opponents outside of Colorado, but I want to be the best, so I’m going to do whatever it takes. I want to be the best. I want to be big — something big.”
DENVER — Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez runs to hug her father Sam Barajas after capping a perfect season by winning her second straight state title at 5A girls 190 pounds at Ball Arena on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Photo by Brent W. New/BoCoPreps)
DENVER — Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez caps a perfect season, winning her second straight state title at 5A girls 190 pounds at Ball Arena on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Photo by Brent W. New/BoCoPreps)
Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez capped a perfect season by winning her second straight state title in the Class 5A 190-pound bracket Saturday night at Ball Arena in Denver. (Brent W. New/BoCoPreps.com)
DENVER — Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez caps a perfect season, winning her second straight state title at 5A girls 190 pounds at Ball Arena on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Photo by Brent W. New/BoCoPreps)
DENVER — Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez caps a perfect season, winning her second straight state title at 5A girls 190 pounds at Ball Arena on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Photo by Brent W. New/BoCoPreps)
DENVER — Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez caps a perfect season, winning her second straight state title at 5A girls 190 pounds at Ball Arena on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Photo by Brent W. New/BoCoPreps)
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DENVER — Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez runs to hug her father Sam Barajas after capping a perfect season by winning her second straight state title at 5A girls 190 pounds at Ball Arena on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Photo by Brent W. New/BoCoPreps)
There are just 16 Flock Safety cameras in Thornton.
But those electronic eyes, mounted to poles at intersections throughout this city of nearly 150,000, brought out dozens of people to the Thornton Community Center for a discussion on how the controversial license plate-reading cameras are being used — and whether they should be used at all.
Law enforcement agencies cite the automatic license-plate readers, or ALPRs, as a powerful tool that bolsters their ability to locate and stop suspects who may be on their way to committing their next assault or robbery.
But Meg Moore, a six-year resident of the city who is helping spearhead opposition to Flock cameras, said she worries about how the rapidly spreading surveillance system is impacting residents’ privacy and Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. Thornton’s Flock camera data can be seen by more than 1,600 other law enforcement agencies across the country.
“We want to make sure this is truly safe and effective,” she said in an interview.
The debate over Atlanta-based Flock Safety’s cameras, which not only can record license plate numbers but can search for the specific characteristics of a vehicle linked to an alleged crime, has been picking up steam in recent years. The discussions have largely played out in metro Denver and Front Range cities in recent months, but this year they reached the state Capitol, where lawmakers are pitching a couple of bills to tighten up rules around surveillance.
In Denver, Mayor Mike Johnston has been butting heads with the City Council over the issue. Johnston is so convinced of Flock’s value in combating crime that in October, he extended the contract with the company against the wishes of much of the council. Denver has 111 Flock cameras.
In Longmont, elected leaders took a different approach. Its City Council voted in December to pause all sharing of Flock Safety data with other municipalities, declined an expansion of its contract with the company and began searching for an alternative.
Louisville beat its Boulder County neighbor to the punch by several months, disabling its Flock cameras at the end of June and removing them by the start of October. City spokesman Derek Cosson said privacy concerns from residents largely drove the city’s decision.
Steve Mathias, a Thornton resident for nearly a decade, would like to see Flock’s cameras gone from his city. Short of that, he said, reliable controls on how the streetside data is collected, stored and shared are paramount.
“In our rush to make our community safe, we’re not getting the full picture of the risks we’re facing,” he said. “We’re making ourselves safe in some ways by making ourselves less safe in others.”
The hot-button debate in Thornton played out at last month’s community meeting and continued at a City Council meeting last week, where the city’s Police Department gave a presentation on the Flock system.
Cmdr. Chad Parker laid out several examples of Flock’s cameras being instrumental in apprehending bad actors — in cases ranging from homicide to sex assault to child exploitation to a $5,700 theft at a Nike store.
As recently as Monday, Thornton police announced on X that investigators had tracked down a man suspected of hitting and killing a 14-year-old boy who was riding a small motorized bike over the weekend. The agency said a Flock camera in Thornton gave officers a “strong lead” in identifying the hit-and-run suspect within 24 hours.
At the Feb. 3 council study session, police Chief Jim Baird described Flock’s camera system as “one of the best tools I’ve seen in 32 years of law enforcement.”
But that doesn’t sway those in Thornton who are wary of the camera network.
“I’m not a fan of building toward a surveillance state,” Mathias said.
The hazards of a system like Flock, he said, lie not just in the pervasive data-collection methods the company uses but also in who eventually might get to see and use that data — be it a rogue law enforcement officer or a hacker who manages to break into Flock’s database.
“A person who wants us to do us harm with this system will have as much capability as the police have to do good,” he said.
A Flock Safety license plate recognition camera is seen on a street light post on Ken Pratt Boulevard near the intersection with U.S. 287 in Longmont on Dec. 10, 2025. (Matthew Jonas/Daily Camera)
Crime-fighting tool or prone to misuse?
In November, a Columbine Valley police officer was disciplined after he accused a Denver woman of theft based in large part on evidence from Flock cameras, according to reporting from Fox31. The officer mistakenly claimed the woman had stolen a $25 package in a nearby town and said he’d used Flock cameras to track her car.
“It’s putting too much trust in the hands of people who don’t know what they’re doing,” DeFlock’s Will Freeman said of so many police agencies’ adoption of the technology.
Last summer, 9News reported that the Loveland Police Department had shared access to its Flock camera system with U.S. Border Patrol. That came two months after the station reported that the department gave the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives access to its account, which ATF agents then used to conduct searches for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Parker, the Thornton police commander, said any searches connected to immigration cases or to women from out of state who are seeking an abortion in Colorado — another scenario that’s been raised — “won’t ever touch our system.” State laws restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities and with other states’ abortion-related investigations.
“Any situation I feel uncomfortable about or that might be in conflict with our policies or with Colorado law, I will revoke their access — no problem,” he said.
Thornton deputy city attorney Adam Stephens said motorists’ Fourth Amendment rights are not being violated by the city’s Flock camera network. During last week’s meeting, he cited several recent court cases that, in essence, determined that there is no right to privacy while driving down a public roadway.
In an interview, Stephens said Thornton was “in compliance with the law.”
Flock spokesman Paris Lewbel wrote in an email that the company was “proud to partner with the Thornton Police Department to provide technology used to investigate and solve crimes and to help locate missing persons.”
Lewbel provided links to two news stories about minor children who were abducted and then found with the help of Flock’s cameras in Thornton and elsewhere.
At the council’s study session last week, Parker provided more examples of Flock’s role in fighting crime and finding missing people in Thornton. They included police nabbing a suspect who had hit and killed a pedestrian, locating a burglar who was suspected of robbing several dispensaries, and tracking down an 89-year-old man with dementia who had gotten into his car and gotten lost.
“It allows us to find vehicles in a manner we weren’t able to previously,” Parker said of the camera network.
Thornton installed its first 10 Flock cameras in 2022 and then added five more — plus a mobile unit — two years later. The initial deployment was in response to a spike in auto thefts in the city, which peaked at 1,205 in 2022 (amid an overall surge in Colorado). Thornton recorded 536 auto thefts last year.
The city says Flock cameras have been involved in 200 cases that resulted in an arrest or a warrant application in Thornton over the last three years.
Thornton police have access to nearly 2,200 other agencies’ Flock systems across the United States, while nearly 1,650 law enforcement agencies can access Thornton’s Flock data, according to data provided by the city.
For Anaya Robinson, the public policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, the networked nature of Flock cameras across wide geographies is a big part of the problem. By linking one police agency’s Flock technology with that of thousands of other police departments, it “creates a surveillance environment that could violate the Fourth Amendment.”
The sweeping nature of Flock’s surveillance is also worrisome, Robinson said.
“You’re not just collecting the data of vehicles that ping (a police department’s) hot list (of suspicious vehicles), you’re collecting the data of every vehicle that is caught on a Flock camera,” he said.
And because the technology is relatively inexpensive — Thornton pays $48,500 to Flock annually for its system — it’s an affordable crime-fighting tool for most communities. But that doesn’t mean it should be deployed, DeFlock’s Freeman said.
Fight remains a largely local one
State lawmakers are crafting bills this session to limit the reach of surveillance technologies like Flock’s.
Senate Bill 70 would put limits on access to databases and the sharing of information. It would prohibit a government from accessing a database that reveals an individual’s or a vehicle’s historical location information, and it would prohibit sharing that information with third parties or with government agencies outside the controlling entity’s jurisdiction. Certain exceptions would apply.
Senate Bill 71 would direct a “law enforcement agency to use surveillance technology only for lawful purposes directly related to public safety or for an active investigation.” It also would forbid the use of facial-recognition technology without a warrant and would place limits on the amount of time data can be retained.
Both bills await their first committee hearings.
Thornton says it doesn’t use facial recognition technology. Its Flock data is retained for 30 days.
Regardless of what passes at the state Capitol, the real fight over license plate readers of any type will likely continue to happen at the local level. Thornton’s council plans further discussions on Flock next month.
For Moore, the resident who is leading the charge against the cameras, potential surveillance of the immigrant community is what troubles her the most.
“We want to make sure we’re operating this so that it’s safe for all of our residents,” she said. “Getting rid of the cameras altogether is a tough sell. But there needs to be a conversation about guardrails.”
Mayor Pro Tem Roberta Ayala, a Thornton native, said she has heard a wide array of opinions from her constituents about the advantages and potential downsides of the technology.
“Could it be misused? Yes. Do we want to stop that? Yes,” she said.
But as a victim of crime herself, Ayala also knows the immense damage and disruption that crime causes victims and their families, be it a stolen vehicle or something much worse. And as a teacher, Ayala is concerned about achieving justice for the families of children who are harmed or abused.
“If it can save even five kids,” she said, “I want the cameras.”
Is it really the big game without the chicken wings, the pizza and the chips and dip?
If you’re hosting or attending a Super Bowl party tonight to watch the Seahawks and the Patriots duke it out, chances are you’ll have an assortment of snacks nearby.
Ahead of the big game, The United States Department of Agriculture has guidance on keeping that food safe for consumption.
During a multi-hour football game, according to the USDA, food is often left out unheated and uncooled, which can lead to issues with the formation of bacteria.
“Each year millions of Americans get sick from foodborne illness – commonly called food poisoning,” the release reads. “These illnesses result in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
The USDA offers five quick tips to keep food safe:
Be safe with takeout food
Follow the two-hour rule
Wash hands effectively
Use a food thermometer
Store leftovers properly
The release directs food safety questions to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, reachable at 1-888-674-6854. You can also ask questions at ask.usda.gov or by emailing MPHotline@usda.gov.
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of wintry weather Monday, a forecast sure to disappoint many after what’s already been a long, cold season across large parts of the United States.
His annual prediction and announcement that he had seen his shadow was translated by his handlers in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club at Gobbler’s Knob in western Pennsylvania.
What You Need To Know
Punxsutawney Phil’s handlers say he’s seen his shadow and is therefore predicting six more weeks of winter weather
Phil’s annual prediction occurred shortly after dawn Monday outside his tree stump in Gobbler’s Knob
Groundhog Day on Feb. 2 comes at the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox
The news was greeted with a mix of cheers and boos from the tens of thousands who braved temperatures in the single-digits Fahrenheit to await the annual prognostication. The extreme cold kept the crowd bundled up and helped keep people on the main stage dancing.
Usually guests can come up on stage and take pictures of Phil after his prediction, but this year the announcer said it was too cold for that and his handlers were afraid to keep him out too long. Instead, the audience was asked to come to the stage, turn around and “do a selfie.”
The club says that when Phil is deemed to have not seen his shadow, that means there will be an early spring. When he does see it, it’s six more weeks of winter. Phil tends to predict a longer winter far more often than an early spring.
The annual ritual goes back more than a century, with ties to ancient farming traditions in Europe. Punxsutawney’s festivities have grown considerably since the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray.
Lisa Gibson was at her 10th Groundhog Day, wearing a lighted hat that resembled the tree stump from which Phil emerges shortly after daybreak.
“Oh man, it just breaks up the doldrums of winter,” said Gibson, accompanied by her husband — dressed up as Elvis Presley — and teenage daughter. “It’s like Halloween and New Year’s Eve all wrapped up into one holiday.”
Gibson, a resident of Pittsburgh, had been rooting for Phil to not see his shadow.
Rick Siger, Pennsylvania’s secretary of community and economic development, said the outdoor thermometer in his vehicle read 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 15 degrees Celsius) on his way to Gobbler’s Knob.
“I think it’s just fun — folks having a good time,” said Siger, attending his fourth straight Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney. “It brings people together at a challenging time. It is a unifying force that showcases the best of Pennsylvania, the best of Punxsutawney, this area.”
Last year’s announcement was six more weeks of winter, by far Phil’s more common assessment and not much of a surprise during the first week of February. His top-hatted handlers in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club insist Phil’s “groundhogese” of winks, purrs, chatters and nods are being interpreted when they relate the meteorological marmot’s muses about the days ahead.
AccuWeather’s chief long-range weather expert, meteorologist Paul Pastelok, said early Monday some clouds moved into Punxsutawney overnight, bringing flurries he called “microflakes.”
Pastelok said the coming week will remain cold, with below-average temperatures in the eastern United States.
Phil isn’t the only animal being consulted for long-term weather forecasts Monday. There are formal and informal Groundhog Day events in many places in the U.S., Canada and beyond.
Groundhog Day falls on Feb. 2, the midpoint between the shortest, darkest day of the year on the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s a time of year that also figures in the Celtic calendar and the Christian holiday of Candlemas.
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of wintry weather Monday, a forecast sure to disappoint many after what’s already been a long, cold season across large parts of the United States.
His annual prediction and announcement that he had seen his shadow was translated by his handlers in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club at Gobbler’s Knob in western Pennsylvania.
What You Need To Know
Punxsutawney Phil’s handlers say he’s seen his shadow and is therefore predicting six more weeks of winter weather
Phil’s annual prediction occurred shortly after dawn Monday outside his tree stump in Gobbler’s Knob
Groundhog Day on Feb. 2 comes at the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox
The news was greeted with a mix of cheers and boos from the tens of thousands who braved temperatures in the single-digits Fahrenheit to await the annual prognostication. The extreme cold kept the crowd bundled up and helped keep people on the main stage dancing.
Usually guests can come up on stage and take pictures of Phil after his prediction, but this year the announcer said it was too cold for that and his handlers were afraid to keep him out too long. Instead, the audience was asked to come to the stage, turn around and “do a selfie.”
The club says that when Phil is deemed to have not seen his shadow, that means there will be an early spring. When he does see it, it’s six more weeks of winter. Phil tends to predict a longer winter far more often than an early spring.
The annual ritual goes back more than a century, with ties to ancient farming traditions in Europe. Punxsutawney’s festivities have grown considerably since the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray.
Lisa Gibson was at her 10th Groundhog Day, wearing a lighted hat that resembled the tree stump from which Phil emerges shortly after daybreak.
“Oh man, it just breaks up the doldrums of winter,” said Gibson, accompanied by her husband — dressed up as Elvis Presley — and teenage daughter. “It’s like Halloween and New Year’s Eve all wrapped up into one holiday.”
Gibson, a resident of Pittsburgh, had been rooting for Phil to not see his shadow.
Rick Siger, Pennsylvania’s secretary of community and economic development, said the outdoor thermometer in his vehicle read 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 15 degrees Celsius) on his way to Gobbler’s Knob.
“I think it’s just fun — folks having a good time,” said Siger, attending his fourth straight Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney. “It brings people together at a challenging time. It is a unifying force that showcases the best of Pennsylvania, the best of Punxsutawney, this area.”
Last year’s announcement was six more weeks of winter, by far Phil’s more common assessment and not much of a surprise during the first week of February. His top-hatted handlers in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club insist Phil’s “groundhogese” of winks, purrs, chatters and nods are being interpreted when they relate the meteorological marmot’s muses about the days ahead.
AccuWeather’s chief long-range weather expert, meteorologist Paul Pastelok, said early Monday some clouds moved into Punxsutawney overnight, bringing flurries he called “microflakes.”
Pastelok said the coming week will remain cold, with below-average temperatures in the eastern United States.
Phil isn’t the only animal being consulted for long-term weather forecasts Monday. There are formal and informal Groundhog Day events in many places in the U.S., Canada and beyond.
Groundhog Day falls on Feb. 2, the midpoint between the shortest, darkest day of the year on the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s a time of year that also figures in the Celtic calendar and the Christian holiday of Candlemas.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Fernando Mendoza bulldozed his way into the end zone and Indiana bullied its way into the history books Monday night, toppling Miami 27-21 to put the finishing touch on a rags-to-riches story, an undefeated season and the national title.
The Heisman Trophy winner finished with 186 yards passing, but it was his tackle-breaking, sprawled-out 12-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-4 with 9:18 left that defined this game — and the Hoosiers’ season.
Indiana would not be denied.
“I had to go airborne,” said Mendoza, who had his lip split and his arm bloodied by a ferocious Miami defense that sacked him three times and hit him many more. “I would die for my team.”
Mendoza’s TD gave turnaround artist Curt Cignetti’s team a 24-14 lead — barely enough breathing room to hold off a frenzied charge by the hard-hitting Hurricanes, who came to life in the second half behind 112 yards and two scores from Mark Fletcher but never took the lead.
The College Football Playoff trophy now heads to the most unlikely of places: Bloomington, Indiana — a campus that endured a nation-leading 713 losses over 130-plus years of football before Cignetti arrived two years ago to embark on a revival for the ages.
“Took some chances, found a way. Let me tell you: We won the national championship at Indiana University. It can be done,” Cignetti said.
Indiana finished 16-0 — using the extra games afforded by the expanded 12-team playoff to match a perfect-season win total last compiled by Yale in 1894.
In a fitting bit of symmetry, this undefeated title comes 50 years after Bob Knight’s basketball team went 32-0 to win it all in that state’s favorite sport.
That hasn’t happened since, and there’s already some thought that college football — in its evolving, money-soaked era — might not see a team like this again, either.
“Congratulations to Indiana,” said President Donald Trump, who was in attendance. “Turned out to be a great game. Two great teams, wonderful teams with a lot of talent.”
Players like Mendoza — a transfer from Cal who grew up just a few miles away from Miami’s campus, “The U” — certainly don’t come around often.
Two fourth-down gambles by Cignetti in the fourth quarter, after Fletcher’s second touchdown carved the Hurricanes’ deficit to three, put Mendoza in position to shine.
The first was a 19-yard-completion to Charlie Becker on a back-shoulder fade those guys have been perfecting all season. Four plays later came a decision and play that wins championships.
Cignetti sent his kicker out on fourth-and-4 from the 12, but quickly called his second timeout. The team huddled on the field and the coach drew up a quarterback draw, hoping the Hurricanes would be in a defense they had shown before.
“We rolled the dice and said, ‘They’re going to be in it again and they were,’” Cignetti said. “We blocked it well, he broke a tackle or two and got in the end zone.”
Not known as a run-first guy, Mendoza slipped one tackle, then took a hit and spun around. He kept his feet, then left them, going horizontal and stretching the ball out — a ready-made poster pic for a title run straight from the movies.
Maybe they’ll call it “Hoosiers.” This was a program so bad that a coach once stopped the game early to take a picture of the scoreboard when it read “Indiana 7, Ohio State 6.” The Hoosiers lost 47-7.
This year, though, they beat Ohio State in the Big Ten title game on their way to the top seed in the playoff.
They won their first two games by a combined score of 94-25 and Mendoza threw more touchdown passes (eight) than incompletions (five).
This one was nowhere near as easy.
Fletcher was a one-man force, hitting triple digits for the third time in four playoff games and turning a moribund offense into something much more.
His first touchdown run was a 57-yard burst through the right side that pulled Miami within 10-7 early in the third quarter.
But after forcing an Indiana punt deep into Miami territory, Hoosiers lineman Mikail Kamara slid past the ’Canes’ protectors and blocked the kick. Isaiah Jones recovered to make it 17-7 and Miami was in comeback mode the rest of the way.
It ended as a one-score game, and the ’Canes — the visiting team playing on their home field — moved into Indiana territory before Carson Beck’s heave got picked off by Jamari Sharpe, a Miami native who made sure the only miracle in this season would be Indiana’s.
“Did I think something like this was possible? Probably not,” Cignetti said. “But if you keep your nose down and keep working, anything is possible.”
Boeing warned plane owners in 2011 about a broken part that contributed to last year’s UPS cargo plane crash that killed 15 people, but at that time, the plane manufacturer didn’t believe it threatened safety, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.
The UPS plane crashed in November 2025 shortly after taking off in Louisville, Kentucky, when the left engine flew off the wing as the plane rolled down the runway. Three pilots on the plane that was headed for Hawaii were killed along with 12 more people on the ground in a business complex near Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport. The plane, carrying up to 20,000 packages and 38,000 gallons of fuel, was reaching 200 mph when it crashed shortly after takeoff.
The NTSB said Wednesday that Boeing had documented in 2011 that there were four previous failures of a part that helps secure the MD-11’s engines to the wings on three different planes, but at that point, the plane manufacturer “determined it would not result in a safety of flight condition.”
These planes were actually built by McDonnell Douglas, which was later bought by Boeing.
The NTSB previously said investigators found cracks in some of the parts that held the engine to the wing. Those cracks hadn’t been caught in regular maintenance done on the plane, which raised questions about the adequacy of the maintenance schedule. The last time those key engine mount parts were examined closely was in October 2021, and the plane wasn’t due for another detailed inspection for roughly 7,000 more takeoffs and landings.
UPS cargo plane crash had similarities to deadly 1979 crash that killed 273 people
It’s not clear when the cracks started to develop in the parts that helped hold the engine on the wing, but this crash is reminiscent of a 1979 crash in Chicago when the left engine flew off an American Airlines DC-10 during takeoff, killing 273 people. The DC-10 was the predecessor of the MD-11.
That previous crash led to the worldwide grounding of 274 DC-10s. The airline workhorse was allowed to return to the skies because the NTSB determined that maintenance workers damaged the plane that crashed while improperly using a forklift to reattach the engine. That meant the crash wasn’t caused by a fatal design flaw even though there had already been a number of accidents involving DC-10s.
But former FAA and NTSB crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti said that a service bulletin McDonnell Douglas issued in 1980 did identify failures of the spherical bearing race as a “safety of flight condition,” so it’s surprising that Boeing didn’t call it that in 2011. He said that American had removed the engine of that plane so it could inspect that bearing.
“I just think it raises questions regarding the adequacy of the severity of the 2011 service letter, and it also raises questions about how UPS incorporated that information and acted upon it,” Guzzetti said.
In 2011, FAA did not require Boeing to make repairs
The 2011 service bulletin that Boeing issued didn’t require plane owners to make repairs like an FAA airworthiness directive would, and the agency didn’t issue such a directive.
Former federal crash investigator Alan Diehl said the notice from Boeing recommended replacing the bearings with a redesigned part that was less likely to fail, but it still allowed operators to replace defective bearings with another older bearing that had demonstrated it was prone to failing.
“As the investigation continues, the NTSB will have to address whether this service bulletin was an adequate solution to a known problem which could have had catastrophic results,” Diehl said. “The UPS crash highlights the need for increased maintenance measures on older airframes.”
NTSB didn’t say whether there had been additional documented failures of the spherical bearing race since 2011. Investigators found that part broken into two pieces after the UPS crash, and the lugs that held that part were cracked.
Photos released by the NTSB of the Nov. 4 crash show flames erupting as the rear of the engine starts to detach before it flew up and over the wing. Then the wing was engulfed by fire as the burning engine flew above it.
The plane’s black boxes — the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder — were recovered by NTSB investigators.
NTSB investigating why engine fell off plane
The factual report released Wednesday doesn’t state what caused the engine to fly off, but it’s clear that investigators are focused on the failure of this bearing. The ultimate conclusion won’t come though until the NTSB’s final report, which usually doesn’t come until more than a year after a crash.
But the report will undoubtedly be cited in the first lawsuit over the crash, filed last month, and subsequent ones. They will be investigating what Boeing knew at the time and what UPS did in response to this 2011 bulletin.
“I think that this even further demonstrates that there was warning signs that predated the crash that any reasonable organization should have utilized to make sure that the Louisville crash didn’t happen,” said attorney Brad Cosgrove of the Clifford Law firm, which filed the first lawsuit.
The report does make clear that neither of the plane’s two other engines were on fire before the crash. Some experts had previously speculated that debris from the left engine might have damaged the engine on the tail.
Boeing, UPS and the Federal Aviation Administration are limited on what they can say while the NTSB investigation is ongoing, so they all declined to comment on Wednesday’s report. Boeing and UPS both expressed condolences to the families that lost loved ones in the crash.
“We remain profoundly saddened by the Flight 2976 accident,” UPS spokesperson Jim Mayer said. “Our thoughts continue to be with the families and Louisville community who are grieving, and we remain focused on the recovery effort,” Mayer said.
Plane that crashed was more than 30 years old
This photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the UPS plane crash scene on Nov. 6, 2025, in Louisville, Kentucky.
NTSB via AP
The 34-year-old MD-11 plane only got 30 feet off the ground before crashing into several industrial buildings just past the runway and generating a massive fireball that could be seen for miles.
Dramatic videos of the crash showed the plane on fire as it plowed into buildings and released a massive plume of smoke.
At the time of the crash, witnesses told CBS News they heard multiple explosions.
“It was explosion after explosion after explosion, so you just didn’t know when it was going to stop,” Georgie Dow, chief financial officer of Grade A Auto Parts just south of the airport, told CBS News at the time. “It’s chaos, you don’t know what’s going to happen next. What’s the next thing? What’s going to blow up? It’s scary.”
Airlines quit flying this type of plane commercially years ago because it isn’t as efficient as newer models, but they had continued to fly for cargo carriers like UPS and FedEx and a few of these planes were also modified for use in firefighting. All the MD-11s that had been in use and 10 related DC-10s have been grounded since the crash.
Cosgrove said he thinks it will eventually become clear that these MD-11s “probably should have been retired and that they had exceeded their shelf life.”
The first full moon of 2026 rises this weekend and it just so happens to be one of only three supermoons this year.
What You Need To Know
The ‘Wolf Moon’ rises this weekend
It will one of only three supermoons this year
Saturday evening will be the best time to see it across the U.S.
January’s full moon, called the ‘Wolf Moon’, will brighten the night sky throughout this weekend. It technically will peak at 5:03 a.m. ET Saturday morning, but the best time to see it will be after it rises above the horizon that evening.
The ‘Wolf Moon’ also happens to be a supermoon this year. This occurs when the moon is closer to earth (parigee) so it appears larger and brighter than normal. You’ll have to wait until November to see the next supermoon.
Visibility looks good across the Central U.S. Saturday evening, but clouds could be an issue on the opposite coasts.
Potential cloud coverage Saturday evening across the U.S. (weathermodels.com)
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the full moon gets its name due to it being a time you can hear the call of wolves. Though we know that happens year-round, the vocal calls of wolves can be haunting during the winter months.
Other names given by various Native American tribes include Cold Moon (Cree), Center Moon (Assiniboin), and Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin).
The next full moon will be the Full Snow Moon which will occur on Sunday, February 1st.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
The first full moon of 2026 rises this weekend and it just so happens to be one of only three supermoons this year.
What You Need To Know
The ‘Wolf Moon’ rises this weekend
It will one of only three supermoons this year
Saturday evening will be the best time to see it across the U.S.
January’s full moon, called the ‘Wolf Moon’, will brighten the night sky throughout this weekend. It technically will peak at 5:03 a.m. ET Saturday morning, but the best time to see it will be after it rises above the horizon that evening.
The ‘Wolf Moon’ also happens to be a supermoon this year. This occurs when the moon is closer to earth (parigee) so it appears larger and brighter than normal. You’ll have to wait until November to see the next supermoon.
Visibility looks good across the Central U.S. Saturday evening, but clouds could be an issue on the opposite coasts.
Potential cloud coverage Saturday evening across the U.S. (weathermodels.com)
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the full moon gets its name due to it being a time you can hear the call of wolves. Though we know that happens year-round, the vocal calls of wolves can be haunting during the winter months.
Other names given by various Native American tribes include Cold Moon (Cree), Center Moon (Assiniboin), and Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin).
The next full moon will be the Full Snow Moon which will occur on Sunday, February 1st.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
The first full moon of 2026 rises this weekend and it just so happens to be one of only three supermoons this year.
What You Need To Know
The ‘Wolf Moon’ rises this weekend
It will one of only three supermoons this year
Saturday evening will be the best time to see it across the U.S.
January’s full moon, called the ‘Wolf Moon’, will brighten the night sky throughout this weekend. It technically will peak at 5:03 a.m. ET Saturday morning, but the best time to see it will be after it rises above the horizon that evening.
The ‘Wolf Moon’ also happens to be a supermoon this year. This occurs when the moon is closer to earth (parigee) so it appears larger and brighter than normal. You’ll have to wait until November to see the next supermoon.
Visibility looks good across the Central U.S. Saturday evening, but clouds could be an issue on the opposite coasts.
Potential cloud coverage Saturday evening across the U.S. (weathermodels.com)
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the full moon gets its name due to it being a time you can hear the call of wolves. Though we know that happens year-round, the vocal calls of wolves can be haunting during the winter months.
Other names given by various Native American tribes include Cold Moon (Cree), Center Moon (Assiniboin), and Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin).
The next full moon will be the Full Snow Moon which will occur on Sunday, February 1st.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
The first full moon of 2026 rises this weekend and it just so happens to be one of only three supermoons this year.
What You Need To Know
The ‘Wolf Moon’ rises this weekend
It will one of only three supermoons this year
Saturday evening will be the best time to see it across the U.S.
January’s full moon, called the ‘Wolf Moon’, will brighten the night sky throughout this weekend. It technically will peak at 5:03 a.m. ET Saturday morning, but the best time to see it will be after it rises above the horizon that evening.
The ‘Wolf Moon’ also happens to be a supermoon this year. This occurs when the moon is closer to earth (parigee) so it appears larger and brighter than normal. You’ll have to wait until November to see the next supermoon.
Visibility looks good across the Central U.S. Saturday evening, but clouds could be an issue on the opposite coasts.
Potential cloud coverage Saturday evening across the U.S. (weathermodels.com)
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the full moon gets its name due to it being a time you can hear the call of wolves. Though we know that happens year-round, the vocal calls of wolves can be haunting during the winter months.
Other names given by various Native American tribes include Cold Moon (Cree), Center Moon (Assiniboin), and Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin).
The next full moon will be the Full Snow Moon which will occur on Sunday, February 1st.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
More than seven weeks after a man was severely injured in the fiery crash of a UPS cargo plane in Louisville, Kentucky, he has died, officials announced Thursday, raising the death toll from the incident to 15 people.
The victim was identified by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg as Alain Rodriguez Colina.
Colina “suffered severe injuries at the time of the crash and passed earlier this Christmas Day,” Greenberg wrote in a social media post to X Thursday afternoon.
On Nov. 4, UPS Flight 2976 bound for Hawaii crashed moments after takeoff from Louisville International Airport, where UPS has its global aviation hub.
The plane barely lifted off when it came down in a commercial area near the airport, crashing into several businesses. The three pilots aboard the plane were killed, along with 12 people on the ground, including Colina. Another nearly two dozen people were hurt.
The plane was carrying up to 20,000 packages and 38,000 gallons of fuel.
In its preliminary report, the National Transportation Safety Board said that the plane reached an altitude of just 30 feet, clearing a runway fence, before coming down. Photos and video also showed the left engine of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F separating from the wing and falling off during takeoff. The NTSB said there was evidence of cracks in the left wing’s engine mount.
The debris field from the crash stretched a half-mile, Todd Inman, a member of the NTSB, told reporters the day after the crash.
This photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the UPS plane crash scene on Nov. 6, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky.
NTSB via AP
Inman also said that the cockpit voice recorder — one of the plane’s two black boxes that was recovered from the plane — recorded a persistent bell that sounded in the cockpit for about 25 seconds as the plane went down.
It could take the NTSB, the lead investigative agency in the crash, up to two years to release its final report.
Whether you’re flying or driving, the weather could impact your holiday travel next week. Here’s what to expect across the country.
What You Need To Know
Heavy rain is expected in California and the Pacific Northwest
A clipper system brings heavy snow across the Northeast and New England before Christmas
Temperatures are trending significantly above normal for Christmas
Here are the weather highlights for holiday travelers.
A more detailed forecast for each day can be found below.
Monday
A prolonged period of wet weather is on tap this week across Northern California and the intermountain west. Monday evening into Tuesday morning could see some showers across the Ohio Valley and snow in the Great Lakes. Southern California remains mostly dry today, but wetter trends ramp up tomorrow.
Tuesday
Snow is possible across New England and the Northeast on Tuesday, with parts of Maine seeing up to 6 to 8 inches. Totals remain on the low end with only a couple inches of accumulation everywhere else. Out west, rain and snow continues, with heavy rain spilling into southern California.
Christmas Eve
California will see wet weather on Christmas Eve as another atmospheric river brings in Pacific moisture, leading to periods of heavy rain and mountain snow. Some strong storms are also possible across Southern California. The possibility of showers will be present through the Ohio Valley.
Christmas
The Rockies and areas westward see wet and wintry weather on Christmas Day, with the higher elevations seeing a white Christmas. Much of the central and eastern U.S. will be warmer than normal with mostly dry conditions.
Friday
The day after Christmas could finally offer a break for some areas out west, but high elevation snow chances continue. Some rain is possible across the Northeast.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
Whether you’re flying or driving, the weather could impact your holiday travel next week. Here’s what to expect across the country.
What You Need To Know
Mostly dry weather is on tap across the central and eastern U.S. this weekend
Heavy rain is expected in California and the Pacific Northwest
Temperatures are trending significantly above normal for Christmas
Here are the weather highlights for holiday travelers.
A more detailed forecast for each day can be found below.
Saturday
If you’re traveling Saturday, a weak disturbance will bring some light snow across the Great Lakes and interior Northeast during the afternoon and evening. Heavier snow accumulation should remain into Canada. Most of the Midwest is looking at dry, sunny weather.
Northern California and the intermountain west will continue seeing periods of wet weather.
Sunday
Wet weather continues out west on Sunday, especially for parts of Northern Calfornia, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Heavy snow and rain is expected.
Some snow showers are possible around the Great Lakes and rain across the Southeast, but activity remains light.
Monday
A prolonged period of wet weather is on tap into early next week across Northern California and the intermountain west. Monday evening into Tuesday morning could see some showers across the Ohio Valley and snow in the Great Lakes.
Tuesday
Snow is possible across New England and the Northeast on Tuesday, but totals remain on the low end with only a couple inches of accumulation. Out west, rain and snow continues.
Christmas Eve
California will see wet weather on Christmas Eve as another atmospheric river brings in Pacific moisture, leading to periods of heavy rain and mountain snow. The possibility of showers will be present through the Ohio Valley.
Christmas
The Rockies and areas westward see wet and wintry weather on Christmas Day, with the higher elevations seeing a white Christmas. Much of the central and eastern U.S. will be warmer than normal with mostly dry conditions.
Friday
The day after Christmas could finally offer a break for some areas out west, but high elevation snow chances continue. Some rain is possible across the Northeast.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
A fleet of planes that UPS grounded after a deadly crash isn’t expected to be back in service during the peak holiday season due to inspections and possible repairs, the company said Wednesday in an internal memo.
The airline expects it will be several months before its McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleet returns to service as it works to meet Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, said the memo from UPS Airlines president Bill Moore to employees. The process was originally estimated to take weeks but is now expected to take several months.
A fiery MD-11 plane crash on Nov. 4 in Louisville, Kentucky, killed 14 people and injured at least 23 when the left engine detached during takeoff. Cargo carriers grounded their McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleets shortly after, ahead of a directive from the FAA.
“Regarding the MD-11 fleet, Boeing’s ongoing evaluation shows that inspections and potential repairs will be more extensive than initially expected,” Moore wrote in the memo.
A UPS spokesperson said in a statement that the company will rely on contingency plans to deliver for customers throughout the peak season, and it “will take the time needed to ensure that every aircraft is safe.”
The 109 remaining MD-11 airliners, averaging more than 30 years old, are exclusively used to haul cargo for package delivery companies. MD-11s make up about 9% of the UPS airline fleet and 4% of the FedEx fleet.
Boeing, which took over as the manufacturer of MD-11s since merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, said in a statement that it is “working diligently to provide instructions and technical support to operators” so that they can meet the FAA’s requirements.
The FAA said Boeing will develop the procedures for inspections and any corrective actions, pending approval from the FAA.
According to AAA, more Americans will travel for Thanksgiving this year than ever before. Whether you’re flying or driving, the weather could impact your trip. Here’s what to expect across the country this week.
What You Need To Know
An early week system will bring rain from the Plains to East Coast
Thanksgiving looks mostly quiet across U.S.
Much colder air after Thanksgiving
Here are the weather highlights for Thanksgiving travelers this week.
A more detailed forecast for each day can be found below.
Monday
A system will be on the move and bring widespread rain from the Southern Plains to Great Lakes. Scattered storms could create travel issues for places like Dallas, St. Louis and Memphis.
Tuesday
By Tuesday, our system will continue its path to the east with showers and storms expected in the Southeast and up the East Coast. Areas farther north will see mostly showers, so nothing too concerning other than a wet commute up and down I-95.
Wednesday
By Wednesday, the system will be mostly gone with only a few areas of lingering rain chances in the East and lake-effect snow in the Great Lakes. Attention turns to the Pacific Northwest where the next system will be moving on shore. Rain and mountain snow will be likely in this region.
Thanksgiving Day
If you are traveling short and far on Thanksgiving Day, most of the country thankfully looks quiet and uneventful. The Pacific NW system will be pushing inland bringing snow across the northern Mountain West. Additionally, the lake-effect machine will continue in the Great Lakes.
Black Friday
Black Friday shoppers may need to deal with some winter weather from the Northern Plains to Great Lakes. Temperatures will be far colder behind the early week front setting this one up.
Saturday
Forecast info.
Sunday
Forecast info.
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ryan Conwell scored 22 points and No. 12 Louisville had its best 3-point shooting game of the season to cruise to a 106-81 victory against Ohio on Saturday.
What You Need To Know
Louisville beat Ohio 106-81 Saturday
Ryan Conwell scored 22 points
Ohio hosts Bethune-Cookman Wednesday
The Cardinals (4-0), who entered Saturday averaging 102 points per game, topped 100 points for the third time this season. They went 16 of 35 from beyond the arc in matching their best start to a season in five years.
Louisville shot 20 of 36 in the first half, including going 9 for 17 from 3-point range. Isaac McKneely scored 12 points in the half.
Louisville also forced Ohio (1-3), a team that averaged 10.3 turnovers in its first three games, to commit 11 of its 17 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. That helped the Cardinals grow their lead to 58-37 with less than two minutes before halftime.
Six Cardinals scored in double figures. Mikel Brown Jr. finished with 19 points and seven assists. McKneely had 15 points and Sananda Fru scored 10 of his 14 in the second half.
Jackson Paveletzke led the Bobcats, matching his career-high of 28 points. An All-MAC first-team selection last season, Paveletzke made seven of his first eight shots and finished 8 of 14 from the field.
Aidan Hadaway finished with 12 points and eight rebounds for Ohio.
Up next
Ohio hosts Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday night.
Louisville travels to play Cincinnati on Friday night.
With Christmas not too far away, millions of people are making headway on their holiday shopping lists.
The three largest carriers in the U.S. — The United States Postal Service, UPS and FedEx — released their deadlines for shipping this year to make sure people get their gifts on time.
Here are dates to keep in mind to get gifts by Christmas Day:
UPS and FedEx said they are grounding their fleets of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 planes “out of an abundance of caution” following a deadly crash at the UPS global aviation hub in Kentucky.
The crash Tuesday at UPS Worldport in Louisville killed 14 people, including the three pilots on the MD-11 that was headed for Honolulu. National Transportation Safety Board official Todd Inman said Thursday that the crashed plane was a 1991 McDonnell Douglas 2 that had been “altered” into a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Freighter.
MD-11 aircrafts make up about 9% of of the UPS airline fleet and 4% of the FedEx fleet, the companies said.
“We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer,” a UPS statement said late Friday. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve.”
FedEx said in an email that it will be grounding the aircrafts while it conducts “a thorough safety review based on the recommendation of the manufacturer.”
Boeing, which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press asking the reasoning behind the recommendation. Inman said Thursday that the crashed plane was currently being “handled” by Boeing.
Flight records suggest the UPS MD-11 that crashed underwent maintenance while it was on the ground in San Antonio, Texas for more than a month until mid-October. It is not clear what work was done.
Western Global Airlines is the only other U.S. cargo airline that flies MD-11s, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The airline has 16 MD-11s in its fleet but 12 of them have already been put in storage. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment outside of business hours early Saturday.
Boeing announced in 1998 that it would be phasing out its MD-11 jetliner production, with final deliveries due in 2000.
The UPS cargo plane was nearly airborne Tuesday when a bell sounded in the cockpit, Inman said during a briefing Friday. For the next 25 seconds, the bell rang and the pilots tried to control the aircraft as it barely lifted off the runway, its left wing ablaze and missing an engine, and then plowed into the ground in a spectacular fireball. The plane was carrying about 255,000 pounds of jet fuel, as well as up to 20,000 packages.
The cockpit voice recorder captured the bell, which sounded about 37 seconds after the crew called for takeoff thrust, Inman said. There are different types of alarms with varying meanings, he said, and investigators haven’t determined why the bell rang, though they know the left wing was burning and the engine on that side had detached.
Inman said it would be months before a transcript of the cockpit recording is made public as part of that investigation process.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, said 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 told The Associated Press after Inman’s news conference. “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.”
Dramatic video captured the aircraft crashing into businesses and erupting in a fireball. Footage from phones, cars and security cameras has given investigators evidence of what happened from many different angles. Witnesses recalled chaos on the ground.
“It was explosion after explosion after explosion, so you just didn’t know when it was going to stop,” Georgie Dow, the chief financial officer of an auto parts business that was struck by the plane, told CBS News. “It was so hot … You took a step back because it was like heat in your face. There was no going to help.”
The UPS package handling facility in Louisville is the company’s largest. The hub employs more than 20,000 people in the region, handles 300 flights daily and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.
UPS Worldport operations resumed Wednesday night with its Next Day Air, or night sort, operation, spokesperson Jim Mayer said.
A repeating bell sounded in the cockpit for 25 seconds as pilots tried to control a UPS cargo plane that caught fire, had an engine fall off and crashed during takeoff this week in Louisville, Kentucky, a National Transportation Safety Board member said Friday. The crash killed at least 14 people, including the three pilots on board.
The cockpit voice recorder captured a persistent bell that began about 37 seconds after the crew called for takeoff thrust, and the bell continued until the recording ended, which investigators believe was the final point of impact, NTSB member Todd Inman said.
Inman said there could be different types of alarms with varying meanings, but investigators know there was a fire in the plane’s left wing and will use flight data to help determine a clearer picture of what happened.
The NTSB is leading the investigation. Inman said it would be months before the transcript of the cockpit recording is made public as part of that investigation process.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, told The Associated Press 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 told The AP after Inman’s news conference Friday. “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.”
This photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the UPS plane crash scene on Nov. 6, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky.
NTSB via AP
The crash happened Tuesday at UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub in Louisville. Dramatic video captured the aircraft crashing into businesses and erupting in a fireball. Footage from phones, cars and security cameras has given investigators visual evidence of what happened from many different angles.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg reported Friday evening on social media that another body was found at the crash site, bringing the “total number of known fatalities” to at least 14.
UPS on Thursday identified the three pilots who were on board the plane as Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond.
Bob Travis, president of the Independent Pilots Association, which represented the crew on the UPS flight, told CBS News on Friday that he knew two of the pilots personally. “These were highly trained professionals,” Travis said. “…You’re not flying a wide-body aircraft around the world for UPS unless you have a lot of experience.”
Travis said his organization is working with NTSB investigators, but says he has no doubt the crew did everything they could to prevent this outcome. “Our training is robust,” Travis said. “Repeatedly, you are facing what it’s like to fly the aircraft if you’re missing an engine, or in some cases, two. As we witnessed on the video there, to me looked instantaneous, and it looked catastrophic.”
Travis said it’s his “belief” that, given the circumstances, there was not much the pilots could have done.
“That’s my belief,” Travis said. “It looked like a pretty, pretty hard situation to overcome.”
CBS News has learned that among those killed in the crash was Louisnes Fedon and his 3-year-old granddaughter, Kimberly Asa.
Matt Sweets, a father of two, was pulled out of the wreckage, but later died at a hospital, CBS News learned.
Angie Anderso, 45, is among nine people still missing, CBS News also learned. Friends believe she was at a scrap metal recycling facility when the plane crashed into it.
Travis said the union will continue to stand with the survivors and victims’ families.
“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Travis told CBS News. “…And our hearts bleed for them, just like our hearts bleed for the pilots.”
