A UPS McDonnellDouglas MD-11 cargo jet, carrying three crew members, crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport around 5:15 p.m. local time. The aircraft was bound for Honolulu when video footage showed flames erupting from the left wing, followed by a fireball that engulfed the plane and sent thick black smoke across the skyline.
Responders arrived to a scene of debris-strewn runway and multiple fires. The airport was shut down, and residents within a five-mile radius were issued a shelter-in-place order as emergency crews battled the blaze and flammable materials threatened further explosions. The jet was operating out of UPS’s Worldport cargo hub.
Authorities confirmed injuries have been reported but have not yet released a definitive casualty count. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have opened investigations into the cause of the crash, and UPS is cooperating as the hub—one of the world’s busiest cargo airports—suspended flights and diverted operations during the response.