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The night before the accident, both pilots attempted to catch needed sleep during a scheduled rest period at the UPS facility. While the captain managed to rest adequately, the first officer's sleep patterns remained erratic, with hints of sleep debt affecting her performance.
Flight Preparations and Departure
On August 13, 2013, the pilots met to prepare for their final flight of the night — a routine that now felt all-too-familiar. They completely overlooked critical weather updates and the closure of the main runway at Birmingham International Airport. Miscommunication and lack of updated briefing materials severely hampered their situational awareness.