At least Three Dead After UPS Cargo Plane Crashes Near Louisville Airport

At least three people have been confirmed dead and eleven others injured after a UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville International Airport in Kentucky on Tuesday. The aircraft erupted into flames upon impact, crashing into nearby businesses and sending a massive column of thick black smoke billowing over the surrounding area.

According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, which was bound for Hawaii, went down at approximately 5:15 p.m. local time (2215 GMT).

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, addressing a press briefing, warned that the number of casualties could increase, noting that the current figures only included individuals on the ground who had so far been identified.

In a statement, UPS confirmed that three crew members were aboard the aircraft but added, “We have not yet confirmed any injuries or fatalities.” Governor Beshear expressed deep concern for the crew, saying that their status remained unknown.

The FAA and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched a joint investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

Video footage aired by local broadcaster WLKY appeared to show the plane’s left engine ablaze as it attempted to lift off the runway.

Louisville is the primary air hub for UPS operations in the United States, as noted in the company’s official fact sheet. The global logistics giant operates nearly 2,000 flights daily to over 200 destinations worldwide, using a fleet of 516 aircraft—of which 294 are owned outright and the remainder leased or chartered on a short-term basis.

Aerial footage from the crash site revealed a lengthy trail of wreckage as emergency crews battled the flames with powerful jets of water. Thick smoke continued to rise from the disaster zone for several hours.

Governor Beshear stated that the aircraft had struck a petroleum recycling facility “pretty directly,” exacerbating the intensity of the blaze.

The tragedy unfolded during one of the longest federal government shutdowns in United States history. Earlier in the day, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had warned of “mass chaos” in the aviation sector due to a severe shortage of air traffic control staff.

“You’ll see mass cancellations, and we may have to close certain parts of the airspace because we simply cannot manage it without adequate air traffic controllers,” Duffy told reporters.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Duffy described the footage of the crash as “heartbreaking” and urged the public to “join me in prayer for the Louisville community and the flight crew affected by this horrific tragedy.”

The incident follows a deadly collision in January when an American Eagle passenger jet struck a military Black Hawk helicopter near Washington’s Ronald Reagan Airport, killing sixty-seven people. That disaster ended a sixteen-year period without a fatal commercial air crash in the United States and renewed concerns over the condition of the nation’s air traffic control system—widely criticised as understaffed and reliant on outdated technology.