At least 11 people were also injured, and the number of casualties is likely to increase after the crash, which occurred around 5:15 p.m. local time, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in a post on X.
“Anybody who has seen the images and the video know how violent this crash is,” Beshear told reporters at a briefing earlier on Tuesday. He added there was no word yet on the status of the three crew members onboard the jet.Several explosions, a lingering fire and potentially flammable debris at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali airport complicated the efforts of emergency crews looking for victims and securing the area, authorities told reporters. Officials halted operations at the airport, home to UPS’ main global hub, known as Worldport.
The incident adds to a deadly year for global aviation. Just three weeks ago, a cargo plane skidded off the runway and into the sea at Hong Kong International Airport, killing two ground crew. In June, 241 people died on an Air India flight that crashed just after takeoff, and in January a US Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines Group Inc. regional jet on approach to Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington.
The crash of UPS Flight 2976 also comes at a time of widespread air travel disruptions across America caused by air traffic controller shortages since the US government shutdown began Oct. 1.
UPS said an MD-11 with three crew was involved in an accident and it hadn’t confirmed any injuries or casualties. Boeing Co., which took over McDonnell Douglas in 1997, said it stands ready to support its customer and has offered technical assistance to the National Transportation Safety Board. The company said it will “work tirelessly” with state and local authorities on response efforts.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB will investigate, with the latter air accident body leading the probe, the FAA said. The NTSB said its investigative team will arrive Wednesday.
The cause of the crash wasn’t clear. Typically such incidents are triggered by one or more operational, mechanical and environmental factors, established by investigators over weeks and months.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed the 34-year-old aircraft reaching takeoff speeds and climbing to around 175 feet (53 meters) before plummeting to the ground.
The three-engine widebody jet, a stretched version of the DC-10, was launched in 1986 but was eclipsed by more efficient twin-engine models like Boeing’s 777. UPS operated 27 of the type as of Sept. 30, according to a company filing, and is one of the biggest operators of MD-11s followed by rival FedEx Corp.
Beshear also said information gathered so far suggests at least two businesses were hit, including a petroleum recycling company and an autoparts shop. Those businesses have accounted for all but two of their employees, he said.
However, “they do not know how many other individuals, customers or others could have been onsite at the time,” he said, adding that it may take a while for officials to determine that information.
