The death toll from a cargo plane crash in Kentucky rose to 12 on Wednesday. Investigators identified a fire in one engine, which detached during takeoff, as the cause.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11, operated by UPS and heading to Hawaii, crashed at 5:15 pm (2215 GMT) Tuesday after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
It burst into flames upon striking nearby businesses, resulting in multiple ground fatalities. There were three crew members on board.
“I’m deeply saddened to report the death toll has reached 12, with several individuals still missing,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced on X.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear described the event as “heartbreaking” and “unimaginable.”
The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched teams to investigate. NTSB member Todd Inman noted closed-circuit footage showed the left engine detaching during takeoff.
Despite destroying or damaging several buildings, creating a debris field nearly half a mile long, the left engine remained “on the airfield,” Inman stated.
The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, known as black boxes, have been located and will be analyzed in Washington.
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 its facility.
38,000 gallons of fuel
WLKY video showed the left engine in flames as the aircraft attempted lift-off.
By early Wednesday, Greenberg confirmed a runway had been reopened.
Airport spokesman Jonathan Bevin stated the flight “crashed three miles south of the airfield” after takeoff.
The plane, carrying approximately 38,000 gallons of fuel for its Hawaii-bound journey, narrowly missed a major Ford assembly plant.
“It could have been much worse,” Beshear remarked.
Aerial footage displayed a long debris trail as firefighters extinguished the flames with smoke rising.
Beshear noted the aircraft hit a petroleum recycling facility “directly.”
NTSB reported the plane was built in 1991 and later converted to a cargo plane. McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1996.
Boeing, with a history of fatal crashes, stated, “we stand ready to support our customer and have offered technical assistance to the NTSB.”
UPS operates in over 200 countries with nearly 2,000 daily flights, owning 294 of 516 aircraft.
The crash occurred during the longest US government shutdown, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning of “mass chaos” due to air traffic control staff shortages.
“You’ll see mass cancellations, and we may close parts of the airspace due to insufficient air traffic controllers,” Duffy said Tuesday.
Inman mentioned no known staff shortages at Louisville’s airport during the crash, though a comprehensive investigation including air traffic control staffing has begun.
In January, an American Eagle plane collided with a military helicopter near Washington’s Reagan National Airport, killing all 67 aboard both aircraft.
This crash, ending a 16-year streak of no fatal commercial air crashes, raises concerns about the US air traffic control system, often seen as understaffed with outdated equipment.
