A UPS aircraft, en route to Hawaii, experienced a devastating crash shortly after takeoff from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday evening. The incident, which was caught on video, showed the plane lifting off the runway with one wing on fire before it crashed in a massive explosion.
The UPS Flight 2976 exploded around 5:15 p.m., just 13 minutes after takeoff, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration and FlightAware. Emergency crews were promptly dispatched to the crash site near the airport in Louisville, Kentucky.
In response to the crash, the Louisville Metro Police Department quickly issued a shelter-in-place order for all locations within a five-mile radius of the airport. Aerial footage of the crash site showed a trail of fire and destruction left by the aircraft, with a large column of smoke visible from a distance. The order was later extended to all areas north of the airport up to the Ohio River.
Local officials reported multiple injuries and the fire continued to burn for several hours after the crash. Emergency personnel were on the scene, working tirelessly to control the situation. The exact number of injuries and the extent of the damage were not immediately clear.
Following the crash, the airport was temporarily closed. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation into the incident. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, which was headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, was carrying approximately 280,000 pounds of fuel at the time of the crash, according to Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.
UPS confirmed the crash of its aircraft and the presence of three crew members onboard. The MD-11, primarily used for cargo transport, has limited seating capacity and can carry up to 187,393 pounds, as per Boeing, which took over the manufacturing of the aircraft after merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997.
Mayor Greenberg urged the public to avoid the area due to multiple road closures and ongoing firefighting efforts. He expressed his gratitude towards the first responders and acknowledged the tragedy as a significant event that the community will remember. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear also expressed his concern and announced his visit to the crash site.