A UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) on Tuesday, killing at least three people and injuring 11 others in what officials described as a "catastrophic" scene of fire and debris stretching across an industrial area.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, operating as UPS Flight 2976, went down around 5:15 p.m. ET as it departed for Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. The aircraft struck the roof of a nearby petroleum recycling facility, igniting a massive blaze that sent black smoke towering over Louisville's south side.
Governor Andy Beshear confirmed the fatalities during an evening news briefing, noting that at least two employees at a nearby auto parts shop are unaccounted for. He called the crash "catastrophic" and warned that the casualty count could rise as search crews comb the wreckage.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the plane was fully loaded with more than 280,000 gallons of fuel, which contributed to the explosion and subsequent fire that spread through surrounding structures, including a recycling center. "This is an incredible tragedy that our community will never forget," Greenberg stated on social media. "We are so thankful for our brave first responders who have flooded the scene."
Emergency responders from across the city converged near the UPS Worldport air hub, where flames continued to burn hours after the crash. The Louisville Metro Police Department described the site as "an active scene with fire and debris," urging residents to stay away. A temporary shelter-in-place order was issued for neighborhoods near the Outer Loop, instructing residents to shut off air intake systems due to heavy smoke.
The Louisville airport suspended all flights and closed its airfield. TSA security screening was also halted as firefighters battled the blaze into the evening. A victim reunification site was established nearby, and chaplains were dispatched to assist affected families, police said.
Witnesses described the explosion as visible from miles away. "All you could see in the sky around the airport was black smoke in billows," said Louisville resident Anna McMullen, who lives seven minutes from SDF. "I heard explosions, and they are still going off, which means the plane could have hit the petroleum supply tanks."
UPS confirmed that three crewmembers were aboard the flight but did not specify whether they were among the dead. The company will "release more facts as they become available, but the National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the investigation and will be the primary source of information," company spokesperson Karen Tomaszewski Hill told FOX Business.
Beshear said there was no hazardous cargo aboard that could pose additional environmental risks. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched a joint investigation into the cause of the crash, with federal inspectors expected to arrive at the scene Wednesday morning.
The MD-11 aircraft was 24 years old, according to FAA records. Louisville's UPS hub - known as Worldport - is the company's largest global airfreight facility, handling hundreds of flights daily.
