Louisville, KY — In a heartbreaking new revelation surrounding the crash of UPS Flight 2976, investigators have confirmed that Captain Eric Donnelly, the flight’s pilot, sent a final text message to his wife just three minutes before the plane exploded midair — a message that has now become the center of a national mystery.
According to federal aviation officials, the message, transmitted through the aircraft’s encrypted communications channel, contained only four words. Authorities have not disclosed the exact content of the message, but one investigator described it as “deeply alarming and entirely unexpected.”
“It wasn’t a goodbye message,” the source said. “It was more like a warning — something he realized at the very last second.”
Captain Donnelly’s wife reportedly alerted investigators after receiving the notification hours later, when her husband’s flight failed to arrive at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. The timestamp on the message aligns precisely with the moment the aircraft’s black box stopped transmitting data, confirming earlier reports that its memory had been manually wiped seconds before impact.
The FBI and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are now examining whether the message could indicate sabotage, onboard interference, or an attempt to prevent a larger catastrophe.
“If we can confirm what those four words were referring to, we may finally understand what happened inside that cockpit,” an NTSB official said.
In the wake of the discovery of a hidden cargo compartment and questions surrounding an unlogged shipment, this final message adds another chilling layer to the mystery that has gripped the nation.
Neighbors and colleagues describe Donnelly as a meticulous, safety-first pilot with over 18 years of experience.
“He loved flying more than anything,” said one former co-pilot. “If he sent that message, it meant he saw something he couldn’t ignore.”
Officials have not released the text publicly, citing ongoing forensic analysis — but one source close to the family said the message contained a reference to someone “onboard” who shouldn’t have been there.
The investigation remains active, with the FBI urging anyone with information about the cargo, flight crew, or last-minute personnel changes to come forward.
