LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A repeating bell sounded in the cockpit for 25 seconds as pilots tried to control a UPS cargo plane that caught fire, had an engine fall off and crashed during takeoff this week in Louisville, Kentucky, a National Transportation Safety Board member said Friday.

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The cockpit voice recorder captured a persistent bell that began about 37 seconds after the crew called for takeoff thrust, and and the bell continued until the recording ended, which investigators believe was the final point of impact, NTSB member Todd Inman said.

Inman said there could be different types of alarms with varying meanings, but investigators know there was a fire in the plane’s left wing and will use flight data to help determine a clearer picture of what happened.

The crash Tuesday at UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub in Louisville, killed 13 people, including the three pilots on board.

An attendee holds a candle and flowers during a vigil Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Louisville, Ky., after a UPS plane crashed at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

The NTSB is leading the investigation. Inman said it would be months before the transcript of the cockpit recording is made public as part of that investigation process.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, said the bell likely was signaling the engine fire.

“It occurred at a point in the takeoff where they were likely past their decision speed to abort the takeoff,” Guzzetti told The Associated Press after Inman’s news conference Friday. “They were likely past their critical decision speed to remain on the runway and stop safely. … They’ll need to thoroughly investigate the options the crew may or may not have had.”

Allen Wilson, right, hugs an attendee after they wrote on crosses for victims during a vigil Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Louisville, Ky., after a UPS plane crashed at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Dramatic video captured the aircraft crashing into businesses and erupting in a fireball. Footage from phones, cars and security cameras has given investigators visual evidence of what happened from many different angles.

By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday the Pentagon is revamping how the military buys weapons, shifting the focus away from producing advanced and complex technology and toward products that can be made and delivered quickly.

Hegseth, speaking to military leaders and defense contractors in Washington, said the “objective is simple: transform the entire acquisition system to operate on a wartime footing, to rapidly accelerate the fielding of capabilities and focus on results.”

Hegseth gave his address, which ran for more than an hour, at the National War College. It delved much more into military minutia than a previous big speech to hundreds of military leaders abruptly summoned to a base in Virginia, where he declared an end to “woke” culture and announced “gender-neutral” directives for troops.

Hegseth acknowledged the granularity Friday, saying, “If folks are watching this on Fox, their eyes are rolling over.”

The defense secretary argued his changes are meant to move the military away from the more traditional process that prioritized delivering a perfect, if expensive and late, product in favor of something that is less ideal but delivered quickly. Some experts say the changes could mean less transparency and the military ending up with systems that may not function as expected.

“An 85% solution in the hands of our armed forces today is infinitely better than an unachievable 100% solution … endlessly undergoing testing or awaiting additional technological development,” he said. He asserted that what used to take several years could happen within one.

The shift is coming as Russia’s grinding war has seen an underfunded Ukraine using cheap, mass-produced drones to effectively hold off a technologically superior Moscow, which is armed with advanced missiles and hundreds of tanks.

“Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation, accounting for most of this year’s casualties in Ukraine,” Hegseth argued in a July memo before declaring that “while global military drone production skyrocketed over the last three years, the previous administration deployed red tape.” That memo lifted some Pentagon restrictions on drone purchases.

Todd Harrison, a defense budget and acquisition expert at the American Enterprise Institute, said Hegseth’s ideas represent a significant shift in how the military would buy arms.

But he warned that if contractors aren’t incentivized “to check all the boxes” for everything the military wants in a product, “they may deliver something faster, but it may not do what you want it to do.”

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The way the U.S. military buys weapons and platforms has faced criticism for various reasons for decades. In recent years, the most famous example of the Pentagon’s failure to get the right gear to the front line was the scores of troops that died from roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan because of poorly armored vehicles that weren’t designed for the conflict.

Then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates used his influence to quickly develop the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle, or MRAP, through the acquisition process in under a year.

Hegseth acknowledged the effort Friday, noting that “the entire process must move at the speed of … the MRAP.”

More recently, other Pentagon efforts have tried to replicate this dynamic to quickly deal with the threat of China invading Taiwan or quickly develop swarms of drones, with mixed results.

Hegseth also argued that the companies that sell weapons and platforms to the military need to “assume risk to partner with the United States.”

He then took aim at the large defense contractors, saying the Pentagon will move away from the traditional system where there is limited competition to “harness more of America’s innovative companies.”

Harrison said risks are inherent with turning away from traditional contractors — they possess deep expertise and are mostly publicly traded companies. That means “we have more visibility into their liquidity, the stability of their company, their board,” he said.

With the changes comes a possibility for greater fraud and abuse.

”Whereas many of these newer companies, we have very little visibility inside how the company works, who owns what, how they make decisions — it’s all very opaque,” Harrison said.

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government shutdown has rattled air travel — most recently with an unprecedented effort from the Federal Aviation Administration to cut flights by 10% at airports nationwide. And the disruptions are causing some to instead hit the road or buy a train ticket.

That could mean more business for car rentals, long-haul buses and commuter rails like Amtrak — particularly if flight delays and cancellations continue piling up as the U.S. approaches Thanksgiving and other peak holiday travel.

Amid the latest scramble, Hertz is already reporting a sharp increase in one-way car rentals. One-way reservations have spiked more that 20% through the coming weekend compared with the same period last year, according to the company, which has also pointed to the shutdown’s ongoing strain on travel overall.

“We join the airlines in urging Congress to swiftly pass a clean continuing resolution and restore certainty for travelers,” Hertz CEO Gil West said in a statement. “Every day of delay creates unnecessary disruption.”

Travelers wait in line at the rental car center at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

A press contact for peer-to-peer car-sharing company Turo said Friday that the platform’s nationwide bookings were also up 30% year-over-year. And Avis similarly noted it had also seen “an increase in one-way rental activity as airlines adjust flight schedules,” maintaining that it would continue “to serve customers in the best way possible as travel conditions evolve.”

Amtrak, meanwhile, is predicting record Thanksgiving numbers.

The rail service said it began to see those bookings grow before the shutdown began — but told The Associated Press on Thursday that it was also “reasonable to expect an increased share shift to Amtrak” if flight disruptions mount. Amtrak has maintained that its routes are running normally amid the shutdown.

Flix North America, the parent company of FlixBus and Greyhound, is also preparing for more demand.

“Our message is simple: you still have options,” said Kai Boysan, CEO of Flix North America.

Travelers stand in line at a security checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Boysan maintained that intercity buses are “one of the most dependable ways to get around” — and not impacted by the shutdown like flights are. “We anticipate more travelers may turn to ground transportation in the days ahead, and we’re monitoring demand closely and prepared to add capacity where needed to ensure people can keep moving,” he added.

A Flix spokesperson said Friday that many of its bookings typically occur within 24 to 72 hours of departure, noting that the company should have a “clearer picture” of the overall impact in the coming days.

Still, train and bus routes are sometimes more available in certain parts of the country than others. And some have also encountered sold-out tickets or rentals in recent days — instead turning to other creative options.

Karen Soika from Greenwich, Connecticut, found out Friday morning that her flight out of Newark, New Jersey, was rebooked for an hour earlier. But she later learned her plane was actually leaving from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport instead, at least an hour away.

She unsuccessfully tried to book a rental car to get to Utah for a weekend trip, before settling on another option: booking a U-Haul.

“I’m going to U-Haul and I’m going to drive a truck cross country,” said Soika.

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Meanwhile, others are hoping to avoid lengthy alternatives.

Christina Schlegel, of Arlington, Virginia, is keeping an eye on the Wednesday flight she’s booked to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. When word of cancellations broke, her husband suggested they just drive if their flight is among those affected, but Schlegel says she’d rather pivot to a different flight or airport.

“I don’t want to drive 12 hours,” said Schlegel, who is heading to Florida ahead of a Bahamas cruise.

It can be overwhelming for travelers to navigate whether or not their trips will be impacted — particularly if the trip is farther down the road. And the costs of buying backup options can add up overall. That’s caused some to sit on their current bookings.

“Everything is so fluid right now that many travelers are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach, especially looking ahead to Thanksgiving travel,” Aixa Diaz, spokesperson for motor group AAA, said in a Friday email.

Diaz urges consumers to stay informed, make flexible backup plans and take steps to reduce future headaches — such as carving out more travel time overall or taking a taxi or public transport to an airport instead of parking your own car, in case your return trip gets canceled or rerouted.

“Controlling what you can is key,” she noted.

Associated Press journalists Matt Sedensky and Charles Sheehan in New York; Rio Yamat in Las Vegas and Ted Shaffrey in New Jersey contributed to this report.

Cecilia Klein assumed a state tournament appearance was likely not in the stars for her high school volleyball career. Not at Cretin-Derham Hall.

When she showed up on campus in 2022, the Raiders were fresh off a 1-24 campaign. The year prior to that, they were 0-10. Klein didn’t know much about the program at the time, but she did hear things to the tune of, “Oh, we lose a lot.”

Great.

Cretin-Derham Hall Cecilia Klein (1) makes a dig against Marshall during the Class 3A girls volleyball semifinals in the State Volleyball Tournament at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Friday, Nov. 07, 2025. Marshall won in 3-0 sets. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

But that was pre-Klein. Pre-Taylor Williams, pre-Caroline Banks and Megan Buri. It was also pre-coach Erin Horn. The Gophers alum took over the volleyball program that year, when the current seniors were just freshmen.

“It was a rough first couple years,” Horn noted.

It’s sensational now.

Cretin-Derham Hall reached this year’s Class 3A state semifinals, where it lost in straight sets to powerhouse Marshall (32-2). The top-seeded Tigers, last year’s state runners-up, will meet Benilde-St. Margaret’s in Saturday’s state final at 6:30 p.m. in St. Paul.

Tigers coach Dan Westby had high praise for the Raiders, noting the talent that was evident in film in preparation for the match.

How far the Raiders (27-4) have come.

“It’s been awesome. It’s so fun,” Horn said of the program’s ascent. “I just told the girls in the locker room, ‘Keep your heads high.’ We had nothing to lose. We came out, we battled, we were scrappy, we fought for every point, we weren’t just gonna lay over and die, even when we were down.”

Horn noted she’s excited for the young kids who watched this week’s action and thought, “That can be me in a few years.”

That type of example wasn’t evident for the players of the past. Junior middle blocker Leila Colvin noted she was hardly aware of high school volleyball before coming to Cretin-Derham Hall.

“I didn’t know about the state tournament, I didn’t know we even played five sets,” she said. “I really had no idea.”

Now, there’s a reason for young kids to follow along. Williams’ younger sister is an avid fan. She was in attendance Friday, sporting purple and yellow face paint. Cretin-Derham Hall volleyball is one of her favorite topics of discussion.

“There’s a huge growth and a movement in volleyball in St. Paul,” Horn said.

The Raiders are at least partially to thank. Not only have they won at a high level — the state tournament trips in 2024 and 2025 represent the program’s first since 2011 — but they engage the youth. Colvin’s favorite moments are tossing out bags of candy, high-fiving and taking photos with kids at matches.

Horn has a holistic program philosophy in which the varsity engages frequently with underclassmen through joint practices and buddy programs. Success at the top funnels down, building a base for a brighter future.

“We’re only on the ground level right now, and I feel like the next few years, it’s only going to keep growing,” Klein said. “The next years are going to be so much fun to watch, because of the impact the girls on this team and the senior class have left.”

Cretin-Derham Hall’s bench cheer on their on their team during their match against Marshall in the Class 3A girls volleyball semifinals in the State Volleyball Tournament at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Friday, Nov. 07, 2025. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

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