The two UPS pilots who died in the crash of an Airbus A300-600F on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International airport have been identified by local authorities as Captain Cerea Beal Jr. and first officer Shanda Fanning, says the cargo carrier in a statement.

Fifty-eight year old Beal lived in Matthews, North Carolina, and had flown for UPS since 1990. He served in the US Marine Corps for more than six years as a heavy lift helicopter pilot.

Thirty-seven year old Fanning of Lynchburg, Tennessee, started flying for UPS in 2006. She was well-known locally as an aviation enthusiast.

UPS Flight 1354 originated in Louisville, Kentucky and crashed on approach to the Birmingham, Alabama, airport on 14 August at 06:11 Eastern time (05:11 local time). The aircraft with registration N155UP and serial number MSN841 was powered with two Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines and delivered to UPS in 2003.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news