Dear Sisters and Brothers:
On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, a UPS freight aircraft—a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F operating as Flight 2976—departed from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) headed to Honolulu and crashed shortly after takeoff.
While initial reports indicate the aircraft experienced a catastrophic failure during takeoff, it will likely take many weeks or months to determine the full cause of the crash, which resulted in multiple fatalities both on board and on the ground, along with several injuries among people on the ground.
As members of IAM District 142, all of you work in some capacity on or around commercial aircraft, airlines, aircraft maintenance, or aerospace support in the transportation industry. Any major aviation incident resonates deeply within our union family. We know that when an aircraft accident occurs, the emotional impact can be profound — for crews, maintenance teams, colleagues, and families.
The IAM’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is ready to support any member of District 142 who is coping with trauma, grief, or stress in the aftermath of this accident. It’s confidential. It’s free to you as a member. You don’t need to wait until you “feel really bad” — reaching out early often helps.
You can reach out directly to District 142’s EAP Director, Paul Shultz, on his 24-hour confidential voicemail at (704) 907-3563, or by email at pm.shultz@att.net.
This is a challenging time for our industry and for all those who work in aviation and related transportation sectors. IAM members stand together as a family — committed to safety, committed to solidarity, committed to looking after one another.
Sincerely and fraternally,
| John M. Coveny, Jr. President/Directing General Chair | Paul Shultz EAP Director |