EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Aerospace company Pratt & Whitney said the same family of engines used in Air Force tankers was in the UPS aircraft that crashed in Alabama Wednesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday it opened an investigation into a crash of a United Parcel Service Airbus A300 at Birmingham International Airport. UPS issued a statement saying the incident was "very unfortunate." Two crewmen aboard the plane died, Birmingham Mayor William Bell Sr. said.
Pratt and Whitney said Wednesday its family of engines was powering the Airbus A300.
"The UPS aircraft involved in an accident in Birmingham, Ala., today was powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines," it said in a statement. "The company will cooperate fully with the accident investigation."
Pratt & Whitney and Boeing last year signed contracts to power the Boeing KC-46 tanker for the U.S. Air Force using its PW4062 engine. It said in a March 2012 statement the engine family has "an exceptional track record."
No other information as to the cause of the Alabama accident was released by the company, UPS or federal safety authorities.
