The death toll from a cargo plane crash in Kentucky climbed to 12 on Wednesday. Investigators revealed the crash was due to a fire in an engine that detached during takeoff.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11, operated by UPS and headed for Hawaii, crashed at 5:15 pm (2215 GMT) Tuesday, shortly after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
The plane erupted into flames as it hit nearby businesses, resulting in multiple fatalities on the ground. Onboard were three crew members.
“I’m deeply saddened to report the death toll has increased to 12, with several people still missing,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said on X.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear described the tragedy as “heartbreaking” and “unimaginable.”
The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched teams to Louisville to investigate. NTSB member Todd Inman stated that closed-circuit footage showed the left engine detaching during takeoff.
Though the crash damaged multiple buildings and left debris over nearly half a mile, the left engine remained “on the airfield,” Inman reported.
He added that the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, known as black boxes, have been located and will be sent to Washington for analysis.
This crash is reportedly the deadliest in UPS’s history. Its main hub, Worldport, is in Louisville, employing thousands.
UPS has paused package sorting operations at the facility.
38,000 gallons of fuel
Video from WLKY showed the left engine on fire as the plane attempted takeoff.
By early Wednesday, Greenberg announced on X that a runway had reopened.
Airport spokesman Jonathan Bevin said the flight crashed “three miles south of the airfield” after takeoff.
The plane, carrying about 38,000 gallons of fuel for its Hawaii flight, narrowly avoided a major Ford assembly plant near the UPS Worldport.
“It could have been much worse,” Beshear remarked.
Aerial views showed a debris trail as firefighters tackled the flames, smoke rising from the scene.
Beshear noted the aircraft impacted a petroleum recycling facility “quite directly.”
NTSB stated the plane was built in 1991 and converted to a cargo aircraft. McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1996.
Boeing, which has faced multiple fatal crashes in the past decade, stated, “We are ready to support our customer and have offered technical help to the NTSB.”
UPS operates in over 200 countries with nearly 2,000 daily flights, owning 294 of its 516 aircraft.
The crash occurred amid the longest US government shutdown, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning of “mass chaos” due to a shortage of air traffic control staff.
“Expect mass cancellations; we may have to close parts of the airspace because we lack air traffic controllers,” Duffy stated Tuesday.
NTSB’s Inman noted there was no awareness of staff shortages at Louisville airport during the crash, but a comprehensive investigation is underway.
In January, an American Eagle plane collided with a military helicopter near Washington’s Ronald Reagan airport, killing all 67 on board, ending a 16-year streak of no fatal commercial crashes.
This incident has heightened concerns over the US air traffic control system, seen as understaffed with outdated equipment.
