At least seven people, including three crew members, have died after a UPS cargo plane crashed and burst into flames shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday evening, November 4, officials confirmed.
According to USA Today, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, operating as UPS Flight 2976, was headed to Honolulu when it went down around 5:15 p.m. local time, erupting into a massive fireball visible across the city.
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Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear described the crash as “violent and devastating,” warning that the death toll could rise as recovery teams continued to comb through the debris.
“Anybody who has seen the images in the video knows how violent this crash is,” Beshear said at a press briefing.
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Footage from the scene showed flames engulfing the aircraft moments after it hit the ground, with heavy black smoke blanketing an industrial zone near the runway.
Three crew members among dead
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg confirmed that the victims included the three crew members on board and four others on the ground. More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene to control fires and rescue those trapped.
“They have accounted for all employees from affected businesses - either among the injured, confirmed dead, or safe,” Greenberg said.
Eleven others were reported injured and taken to nearby hospitals, some in critical condition, according to airport safety officer Jonathan Biven.
Crash site near UPS Worldport
The crash occurred in an industrial area roughly six miles south of downtown Louisville which is a home to Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant, UPS Worldport, and Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, one of the businesses directly affected.
UPS, in a statement cited by USA Today, said it had temporarily suspended operations at Worldport, its largest air cargo hub globally.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation into the cause of the crash. Louisville Mayor Greenberg said that a 28-member NTSB team would arrive on Wednesday to begin the probe.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the aircraft was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, a wide-body, three-engine cargo jet first introduced in 1990. The MD-11 has not flown passenger routes since 2014 but continues in use for freight operations.
Background and context
The MD-11 has faced scrutiny over its safety record in the past. According to data from the International Air Transport Association, between 2013 and 2017, cargo flights accounted for the majority of fatal commercial airliner crashes worldwide, with 75 cargo accidents leading to 119 deaths.
One of the most notable cargo crashes in U.S. history occurred in 2019, when an Atlas Air flight operating for Amazon Prime Air crashed in Texas, killing all three crew members on board.
The last major air disaster near Louisville dates back to 1953, when a U.S. Army chartered C-46 aircraft crashed during landing, killing several soldiers.
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Ongoing recovery
By late Tuesday night, emergency teams were still working to extinguish smaller fires and search for remains. Authorities have yet to identify the victims publicly, pending notification of families.
Governor Beshear said the state is working closely with federal investigators and the UPS management to provide support to victims’ families and affected businesses.
“This is a tragic day for Kentucky and for the families who lost their loved ones,” Beshear said. “We’ll make sure they get every bit of help they need.”
