Seven people were killed and 11 others injured after a UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded into flames while taking off from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky on Tuesday evening.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft was departing for Honolulu at around 5:15 p.m. when it went down shortly after take-off. The crash caused a massive explosion that set several nearby buildings ablaze, prompting authorities to suspend all departing flights from the airport.
Eyewitness footage showed flames on the aircraft’s left wing and a trail of smoke moments before it plunged to the ground, erupting into a fireball. Emergency services rushed to the scene as black smoke billowed across the sky.
UPS confirmed that three crew members were on board the plane. Federal officials said all were feared dead, according to a media report. Louisville Metro Emergency Services issued a shelter-in-place order for residents within a five-mile radius of the crash site due to the risk of hazardous materials and ongoing fires.
“There are multiple injuries and the fire is still burning. There are many road closures in the area — please avoid the scene,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a statement shortly before 7 p.m. local time.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear expressed deep concern over the situation, “We’re asking all Kentuckians to pray for those that have been impacted”, he said.
He added that first responders were facing extreme conditions at the site. “It is still a very dangerous situation with different flammables or potentially explosive materials,” Beshear said.
Mayor Greenberg described the amount of jet fuel at the crash site as an “extreme reason for concern in so many different ways.”
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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it would lead the investigation and had dispatched a team to Louisville. The agency noted that its inquiries could take between 12 and 24 months to determine the cause of the crash and issue safety recommendations.
Louisville’s airport, which serves as UPS Worldport — the company’s global air hub and largest package-handling facility — was temporarily closed following the crash. The facility handles around 300 flights daily and sorts more than 400,000 packages per hour.
The incident is expected to cause major disruptions to UPS deliveries across the United States, including for major clients such as Amazon, Walmart and the US Postal Service. Both Amazon and Walmart declined to comment immediately.
FAA records show that the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter involved in the crash was 34 years old. Boeing, which inherited the model after merging with McDonnell Douglas, said it was “deeply concerned for everyone affected” and would provide technical assistance to the investigation.
A shelter-in-place order was later extended to include all areas north of the airport up to the Ohio River. The airport is located about 10 minutes from downtown Louisville, which lies along the river near the Indiana border.
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