Wife of Pilot Killed in UPS Plane Explosion Files Suit

Louisville, KY (WorkersCompensation.com) – The wife of a UPS pilot killed in a plane crash last year has filed suit against the companies involved in manufacturing the plane and its engines.

Donna Diamond, wife of Dana Diamond, the 62-year-old pilot of the UPS plane that exploded as it took off in Louisville, Ky. Last year, filed her claim against Boeing Co., General Electric Co., and VT San Antonio Aerospace in Jefferson County Circuit Court. On Feb. 25. Diamond’s suit alleges the companies’ products and negligent actions caused the death of her husband.

Dana Diamond was one of the three pilots on board the MD-11 airplane that crashed just after takeoff on Nov. 4, 2025. The plane was taking off from Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville when it burst into a ball of flames. The crash killed a total of 15 people including all three crew members and a dozen more people on the ground.

Dana and Donna Diamond lived in Texas. He was serving as the international relief officer on UPS Flight 2976, a cargo flight to Honolulu, when the plane crashed.

"Tragically, Donna would never see her husband alive after that day," the complaint reads. "Even more tragic, Defendants could have prevented Dana’s suffering and death with simple honesty and a little bit of care. But they didn’t."

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the left engine and pylon of the plane detached during takeoff. While the action happened before the plane could get fully airborne, the loss of the engine and pylon caused it to fall to the ground and crash into several businesses near the airport.

During the NTSB’s investigation, inspectors said a “repeating bell” was heard on the plane’s cockpit recording prior to the crash. The NTSB also released photos of the incident showing the engine detaching from the airplane.

The lawsuit alleges General Electric, the plane’s engine manufacturer, should have known that the engines were dangerous and unsafe or in disrepair.

“When an engine separates from a wing seconds after takeoff, that’s not an accident," Mark Lanier, lead attorney for Donna Diamond, said in a news release. “That’s a failure by the companies responsible for building and maintaining that aircraft.”

NTSB investigators have not yet determined the official cause of the crash. However, the agency has shared images and findings of broken parts exhibiting signs of stress and fatigue. The lawsuit said one of the parts was highlighted by Boeing in 2011 as failing in three different airplanes.

Additionally, the lawsuit said, the plane had undergone six weeks of maintenance at VT San Antonio Aerospace in the months prior to the crash. Attorneys for Diamond said VT San Antonio failed “to detect an unsafe condition in its inspection of the aircraft.”

Since the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all MD-11 and MD-11F aircraft until they undergo inspections and repairs, if necessary. UPS has since said that it has retired its MD-11 fleet. Those planes make up less than 10 percent of the company’s airplane fleet, officials said.

According to the lawsuit, Boeing knew or should have known the plane was dangerous or unsafe and that the company failed to adequately care for the plane, which ultimately was a factor in Dana Diamond’s death.

A career UPS employee, Dana Diamond was with the company for more than 37 years and was one of their top 5 senior-most pilots.

“Dana was passionate about pilot safety and devoted to his family, friends and community,” one of Diamond's attorneys said in a news release. “This tragedy was an absolute betrayal of everything Dana stood for and the professional and personal contributions he made in his life.”

The lawsuit is seeking unspecified punitive damages and a trial by jury. As of Feb. 27, there was no scheduled hearing for the lawsuit.

Diamond’s lawsuit is one of many filed because of the crash. A wrongful death lawsuit was filed against UPS and other companies on behalf of the families of the victims who died that day, and another lawsuit was filed on behalf of the family of another victim who died on Christmas Day. Additionally,  a federal class action lawsuit was filed against UPS and other companies on behalf of the businesses and residents affected by the crash.

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