UPS cargo plane crashes near Louisville airport killing 7, injuring others

Washington: At least seven people were killed and numerous more were injured when a UPS cargo jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville International Airport in Kentucky on Tuesday, erupting into flames and colliding with nearby buildings.

According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 that was travelling to Hawaii crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time (2215 GMT). Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told a press briefing that the number of dead and injured was going to climb.

"First responders are onsite and working hard to extinguish the fire and continue the investigation," he posted in a Tuesday night update on X.

UPS said in a statement that three crew members had been on board the aircraft but that it had not yet confirmed whether there were any injuries or casualties, AFP reported.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told reporters that the status of the crew members remained unclear, adding that he was deeply concerned for their safety.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have begun investigating the cause of the crash.

Footage aired by local broadcaster WLKY appeared to show flames coming from the plane’s left engine as it attempted to take off.

Authorities at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport announced that all Tuesday evening departures had been cancelled following the incident, while UPS temporarily suspended package sorting operations at its local facility.

Airport police spokesperson Jonathan Bevin said the cargo plane had crashed roughly three miles south of the airfield shortly after departing from runway 17R.

Louisville serves as UPS’s main air logistics hub in the United States. According to company data, the courier operates nearly 2,000 flights daily to over 200 destinations worldwide, with a fleet of 516 aircraft—294 of which are company-owned, while the remainder are leased or chartered.

Aerial images from the site showed a long stretch of wreckage, with emergency crews spraying water on the burning debris as thick smoke rose from the crash zone.

Governor Beshear said the plane appeared to have struck a petroleum recycling facility pretty directly.