UPS Cargo Plane Crashes in Flames After Takeoff in Kentucky; At Least 3 Dead, 11 Injured
Fiery UPS cargo crash in Louisville Airport kills 3, injures 11 and counting.
A UPS cargo plane erupted in flames and crashed just after takeoff from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport Tuesday evening, killing at least three people and injuring 11 others, with officials warning the numbers will grow. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11, bound for Honolulu, lifted off around 5:15 p.m. before flames shot from its left wing, trailing thick smoke. Seconds later, it slammed back to the ground near the runway’s end, exploding in a massive fireball that shredded part of a nearby building.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called the crash “violent” and confirmed the grim toll, noting some injuries are life-threatening. The three crew members’ statuses remain unknown amid the wreckage. Video shows the jet briefly airborne before the catastrophic impact, leaving a trail of burning debris. The 1991 aircraft was one of hundreds operating daily from UPS’s global hub in Louisville, which processes over 400,000 packages an hour.
The crash site is now a restricted zone, with police saying it may take days to secure fully. A shelter-in-place order covers all areas north of the airport to the Ohio River, including homes, a water park, and downtown Louisville. Residents reported hearing a deafening boom; one restaurant worker said panicked diners fled mid-meal. The airport sits just a 10-minute drive from the city center, amplifying local shock.
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Eyewitness Leirim Rodríguez captured footage of sequential explosions lighting up the sky, followed by towering black smoke. As federal investigators arrive, the city braces for more grim updates from a disaster that unfolded in broad daylight at one of America’s busiest cargo hubs. Recovery efforts will be extensive, but for now, the focus remains on the victims and brave first responders.
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