At least seven people were killed and 11 others injured when a UPS cargo plane crashed and burst into a massive fireball shortly after takeoff from the company’s global aviation hub at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday evening, authorities said.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, bound for Honolulu, went down around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, erupting into flames moments after liftoff. Video footage showed fire on the plane’s left wing before it lifted briefly off the runway and exploded in a fiery blast. Parts of a nearby building’s roof were also torn apart by the explosion.
More than 200 emergency responders rushed to the scene, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said, adding that rescue and recovery efforts resumed Wednesday morning.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear warned that the death toll could rise, noting that several of the injured suffered “very significant” wounds. Four of the deceased were not on board the aircraft, he said.
“Anyone who has seen the footage knows how violent this crash was,” Beshear said.
The UPS Worldport hub — the company’s largest package-handling facility, processing over 400,000 parcels an hour with 300 daily flights — suspended all sorting operations after the crash.
“Everyone in Louisville knows someone who works at UPS,” said Metro Council member Betsy Ruhe. “People are desperately texting loved ones to make sure they’re safe. Sadly, some of those messages will go unanswered.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation and has dispatched a 28-member team to Louisville. Local officials have also created an online portal for residents to report debris found near their homes.
A shelter-in-place order issued within a one-mile radius of the crash site was later reduced to a quarter mile early Wednesday as authorities continued to monitor air quality.
The airport, which was temporarily shut down following the explosion, resumed operations Wednesday morning. However, several flights remained canceled, and some travelers spent the night inside the terminal. Nearby roads remained closed, and local schools canceled classes for the day.
Aviation attorney Pablo Rojas said preliminary video analysis suggests the plane was struggling to gain altitude as flames spread near one of its left engines. “Given the amount of fuel it carried, once a fire starts, it’s only a matter of time before an explosion,” he said. “The plane itself essentially becomes a bomb.”
Governor Beshear said a Kentucky Petroleum Recycling facility was directly struck by the crash, while a neighboring auto parts business also sustained damage.
Dozens of people gathered near a police training academy Tuesday night, anxiously waiting for information about missing relatives. Eric Richardson said his girlfriend, who worked at a nearby metal recycling business, was still unaccounted for. Her phone’s location indicated she was still at the site.
“I don’t even want to think about the worst,” said Bobby Whelan, Richardson’s friend, who had left the area just minutes before the explosion. “All our friends were there.”
Witnesses described scenes of chaos. Video footage captured multiple fireballs lighting up the evening sky, followed by towering clouds of black smoke.
“It literally looked like a war zone,” said Tom Brooks Jr., who owns a nearby metal recycling shop. “The whole place shook.”
At a restaurant about 15 minutes away, Destyn Mitchell said customers were visibly shaken by the deafening blast. “People who had just sat down got up, packed their food, and rushed home,” she said.
The Louisville airport is located just 10 minutes from downtown Louisville, near residential neighborhoods, a water park, and several museums.