Louisville, Kentucky (FBI Statement – Updated 7:42 PM ET) — Federal investigators have just confirmed that the black box data from the UPS cargo plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport last Friday was manually deleted seconds before the aircraft went down.
The revelation came late Tuesday after forensic analysts at the FBI’s Digital Forensics Division successfully recovered a 57-second fragment of cockpit audio that had been intentionally wiped from the plane’s flight data recorder. The clip, officials say, could redefine the entire investigation.
“What we found in that final minute is deeply unsettling,” said one investigator who spoke under condition of anonymity. “Someone didn’t want this recording to ever be heard.”
The Crash That Shook Kentucky
The UPS Flight 4521, a Boeing 767 cargo jet bound for Chicago, went down moments after takeoff, killing all 12 people on board, including two pilots, a loadmaster, and several ground technicians being repositioned. The impact ignited a fire that burned for hours, leaving investigators struggling to identify victims and recover any usable evidence.
At first, officials cited a “possible mechanical malfunction.” But inconsistencies between tower communication and black box data quickly drew suspicion.
The Deleted Data
FBI forensic experts determined that manual access to the plane’s flight data interface occurred 47 seconds before the first distress signal.
“The deletion was not automatic,” an internal memo states. “It required a human override, using a maintenance-level command line not accessible to the pilots during flight.”
That discovery raised new questions about who had access to the system before takeoff — and why the deletion occurred while the plane was still airborne.
What the 57-Second Clip Revealed
According to multiple sources familiar with the recovered recording, the audio begins with standard cockpit chatter between the pilot and co-pilot, followed by what investigators described as a third voice — faint, distorted, and not listed among crew manifest.
In the final 20 seconds, the sound of metal scraping and a rapid succession of warning alarms can be heard. Then, one of the pilots is heard shouting, “It’s locked—someone’s in—” before the recording abruptly cuts out.
The FBI has not confirmed the identity of the unknown voice, but a source close to the investigation said voice pattern analysis is underway to determine whether it matches a missing former UPS aviation technician — the same man caught on security footage boarding the plane minutes before takeoff.
UPS and FAA Response
UPS issued a brief statement Wednesday morning:
“We are cooperating fully with federal authorities. The integrity and safety of our personnel and fleet are our highest priorities.”
The FAA declined to comment, citing “an ongoing criminal investigation.”
What Happens Next
Federal investigators are now reconstructing the plane’s last three minutes using air traffic radar, recovered telemetry, and the restored black box clip. The NTSB and FBI are expected to release a joint interim report next week, though sources warn it “will not include everything.”
As one senior aviation official told reporters:
“Whatever happened inside that cockpit — it wasn’t an accident.”
