At least 3 dead, 11 injured after UPS cargo plane crashes near Louisville airport

At least three people were killed and 11 others injured when a UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky, striking several buildings, according to officials. The death toll is expected to rise.

The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F registered as N259UP and carrying three crew members, was operating as Flight UPS2976 from Louisville to Honolulu, Hawaii, when it crashed shortly after takeoff at around 5:20 p.m. local time on Tuesday, according to UPS and flight-tracking data from Flightradar24.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said at least three people have been confirmed dead and 11 others injured, several of them seriously. “I believe that number is going to get larger,” Beshear said at a press briefing on Tuesday night, adding that the status of the plane’s crew remains unknown.

Beshear said the main area impacted includes two businesses, including Grade A Auto Parts on Grade Lane, where two employees are missing.

The Louisville Metro Police Department said officers and multiple agencies were responding to an “active scene with fire and debris” near Fern Valley and Grade Lane, just south of the airport. A short time later, the department issued an emergency alert advising residents to shelter in place.

The crash occurred in a large industrial area containing several vehicle and truck junkyards, where multiple large fires were burning following the impact. Footage shared on social media showed intense flames and thick black smoke rising from the crash site.

The circumstances leading to the crash have not yet been confirmed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it will investigate the incident along with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

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