A UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded on Tuesday evening while departing from the company’s global aviation hub at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky, killing at least seven people and injuring 11 others. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, made in 1991, was en route to Honolulu when the incident occurred at approximately 5:15 p.m.
A video captured the terrifying moment as the plane lifted slightly off the ground, with flames visible on its left wing, followed by a trail of smoke. The aircraft then crashed and erupted in a massive fireball. Authorities confirmed that four of the fatalities were individuals on the ground near the airport. Among the 11 injured, several sustained significant injuries, with the severity of the situation underscored by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s statement about the violent nature of the crash.
The UPS Worldport hub in Louisville, which handles thousands of packages daily, has suspended operations, and an investigation is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which has dispatched a team to the scene. The investigation is expected to take several days, and the airport was temporarily shut down with operations expected to resume the following morning.
The explosion also caused nearby businesses, including Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, to be severely impacted, with reports of nearby buildings sustaining damage. One of the many heartbreaking stories is that of a man seeking his girlfriend, who had been working at a metal recycling facility near the explosion. Many in the area, including those in nearby restaurants, were shaken by the powerful blast, which echoed through the neighborhood like a bomb.
Experts speculate that the aircraft’s struggle to gain altitude while burning fuel led to the explosion, with aviation attorney Pablo Rojas explaining that the large fuel load would have turned the aircraft into an uncontrollable hazard.
The Louisville airport, located just minutes from downtown, serves both as a key transportation hub and is surrounded by residential areas, further intensifying the scale of the disaster. The crash has left a lasting impact on the local community, with many anxiously awaiting further details from ongoing investigations.
