UPS Plane Crash: Kentucky Cargo Carrier Tragedy Claims At Least 7 Lives — Here's What We Know

• A UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded just as it was taking off from the company’s cargo hub at Louisville airport on Tuesday evening.
• Authorities say at least seven people are dead and 11 are injured.
• UPS said it was coordinating with official investigations and has yet to confirm the casualty count.

A UPS cargo plane crashed and burst into flames Tuesday evening while taking off from the company’s aviation hub at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky, killing all three people onboard and at least four others on the ground, authorities told Reuters. 

Eleven others were injured in the incident. The death toll could rise further.

The UPS Worldport at the Louisville airport is the company’s global hub for shipping air cargo and its largest package-handling facility worldwide.

How Did The Crash Happen?

United Parcel Service, Inc.’s flight 2976, a wide-body plane, crashed mid-takeoff at around 5:20 pm local time, skidding off the runway and striking nearby buildings.

Videos sourced by news channels showed flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke. The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball. Several buildings in an industrial area beyond the runway were on fire after the crash.

Among the 11 who were hurt, some had “very significant” injuries, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told Associated Press. “Anybody who has seen the images, the video, knows how violent this crash is,” he said.

Response Measures

“We are engaged with the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the accident and are staying in close contact with the Federal Aviation Administration,” UPS said in a statement, adding that it would release more details as they emerge.

“As a result of the accident, we are halting package sorting operations tonight at Worldport.” The hub employs thousands of workers, operates 300 daily flights, and sorts more than 400,000 packages per hour, according to the AP.

UPS has yet to officially confirm the causality count.

Fires were still burning near the airport, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a social media post shortly before 7 p.m. ET. People living within a five-mile radius of the airport were ordered to take shelter as fire crews tackled the massive blaze.

The airport is shut down and is not expected to resume operations before Wednesday morning, according to AP.

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