Shortly after taking off from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday night, a UPS cargo plane crashed, causing a huge explosion that sent dense smoke and flames skyward.
As rescue personnel raced to the area, authorities verified at least three fatalities and numerous injuries. Around 5:15 p.m. local time, the Honolulu-bound McDonnell Douglas MD-11 reportedly caught fire in midair before plummeting quickly and landing close to the end of the runway.
For more than an hour, firefighters fought the fire while charred debris strewn all over the tarmac. A shelter-in-place order was issued for people within five miles of the airport owing to thick smoke and toxic pollutants, and the airport immediately suspended all incoming and outgoing flights.
Witnesses reported hearing a wall of flames after a “loud boom.” Social media users posted images and videos of a black smoke plume that stretched for miles.
To find out what caused the disaster, federal officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have begun an investigation. In a brief statement, UPS pledged full cooperation with authorities and offered their sympathies to the families of the fatalities.
One of the worst aviation mishaps in Louisville’s history, the tragedy has raised concerns about the use of outdated cargo planes on lengthy foreign flights.