Alain Rodriguez Colina, a Cuban immigrant and metal buyer at a Louisville scrapyard, died on Christmas Day from burns sustained in the Nov. 4 UPS cargo plane crash, raising the confirmed death toll to 15. The NTSB reported the plane’s left engine separated during takeoff and investigators found cracks where the engine attached to the wing. Two wrongful-death lawsuits name UPS and General Electric, and the FAA has temporarily grounded all MD-11 freighters while the federal investigation continues.
Scrapyard Worker Burned in UPS Cargo Plane Crash Dies on Christmas; Death Toll Rises to 15
Smoke rises from the site of a UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 4. - Leandro Lozada/AFP/Getty Images
A Cuban immigrant who had rebuilt his life in Kentucky, Alain Rodriguez Colina, died on Christmas Day from severe burns he sustained in the Nov. 4 UPS cargo plane crash, officials said, bringing the confirmed fatalities to 15.
Colina was working on the ground near Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport when the fully fueled cargo jet crashed into nearby businesses shortly after takeoff and erupted in a massive fireball. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced his death on social media.
“May Alain’s memory be a blessing,” Mayor Craig Greenberg wrote.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that the plane’s left engine separated during takeoff on Nov. 4. Three pilots were among those killed, and investigators later discovered cracks where the engine attached to the wing. Louisville’s airport is home to UPS’s largest package-sorting hub.
Colina had worked since 2023 at Grade A Auto Parts & Recycling, a scrapyard near the airport, and rose quickly to the role of metal buyer, owner and CEO Sean Garber told reporters. Garber described Colina as someone who embraced the company culture and life in Louisville, even adopting a fondness for the University of Kentucky. Colina’s mother and siblings lived locally and he had a daughter in Cuba.
Co-workers at the scrapyard recounted chaotic efforts to help survivors after the jet struck nearby buildings. Garber said Colina had been with a customer and a coworker who later died. Although Colina escaped the initial wreckage, he suffered burns over more than 50% of his body and was placed in an induced coma; doctors had little expectation of recovery.
Family members visited frequently. Garber said there were signs of improvement at one point before Colina’s condition worsened and he died on Christmas Day. "Alain was a good man with a big heart who cared about the business, customers and his family," Garber said. "He believed in the opportunity he got in the United States and really made the most of it. He should still be with us."
Earlier this month, attorneys filed two wrongful-death lawsuits alleging UPS continued operating older aircraft without expanding maintenance beyond routine schedules; the suits also name General Electric, which made the plane’s engines. UPS and GE have declined to comment on pending litigation, saying safety remains a top priority as federal investigators continue their work. Those initial lawsuits do not list Colina as a plaintiff.
More than 90 people and several local businesses affected by the crash — including individuals connected to Colina — plan to file a separate lawsuit in the coming weeks, attorney Masten Childers III said. "Alain fought hard," Childers said. "Alain’s passing must be honored by holding those responsible for his death accountable."
The Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily grounded all MD-11 freighters, the aircraft model involved in the accident; those jets have been used exclusively for cargo operations for more than a decade while federal investigators continue their work.
