At least 12 people were killed when a UPS cargo plane crashed during takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky, airport Tuesday evening, the state's governor said.
Andy Beshear said the death toll was expected to rise and likely include at least one child after the cargo plane exploded while taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport around 5:15 p.m. local time (2215 GMT), he said.
The left engine caught fire and fell off the wing during takeoff, causing a large fire that sent thick plumes of smoke into the air, according to the National Transportation and Safety Board.
The accident injured more than a dozen people, ranging from burns and shrapnel wounds to smoke inhalation.
Officials said those who survived suffered “very serious” injuries from the incident. Crews are still searching for other victims as several people remain missing.
Beshear said the plane's three-person crew was among the dead.
A preliminary investigation is ongoing, but officials said it is too early to say what caused the crash, although surveillance footage and data from the plane are helping to piece the story together.
Investigators found a flight recorder and a flight data recorder known as a “black box,” said Todd Inman of the NTSB, the agency leading the investigation.
In a statement Wednesday, Inman said surveillance footage showed the plane's left engine “separating from the wing during the takeoff roll.” The video has not yet been published.
He said the plane was able to get off the ground and clear a guardrail at the end of the runway before it crashed into several businesses surrounding the airport.
On Wednesday, Beshear declared a state of emergency to help “move resources more quickly through Emergency Management and the Kentucky National Guard.”
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the airport has since reopened the runway to resume flights.
Beshear said at least 16 different families reported their loved ones missing.
As of Tuesday evening, two workers at the auto plant where the strike occurred were still unaccounted for, and it was unknown how many customers were on the premises when the accident occurred.
UPS said in a statement that there were three crew members on board, adding that “we have not confirmed any injuries/casualties.”
Local officials said Wednesday they were unsure how many victims they were looking for and that the fire had destroyed the plane, creating a large area of debris that would make it difficult to find people.
Kentucky spokesman Morgan McGarvey said 28 people from the NTSB are on the ground and will “review absolutely everything that happened.”
However, officials noted that the massive fire was caused by the amount of fuel on board the plane, which was embarking on a roughly 4,300-mile (6,920-kilometer) journey to Hawaii.
There were 38,000 gallons (144,000 liters) of fuel on board at the time of the crash.
This made it appear as if it was “raining oil” in Louisville when the accident occurred, McGarvey said.
It was not confirmed what cargo was on board, although officials said there was nothing on board the plane that would pose an increased risk of infection.
The explosion engulfed at least two nearby businesses, including an oil refining company. The shelter-in-place order was initially issued for areas within five miles of the airport due to fears of further explosions and air pollution, but was later reduced to one mile.
All outbound flights were canceled Tuesday evening, the airport said in a statement on X.
Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill said the amount of fuel spilled at the crash site made the situation “very dangerous.”
The stay-at-home order was reduced to a one-mile radius as crews worked to extinguish the fire Tuesday evening.
At the news conference, Beshear warned people not to come to the crash site.
“Anyone who has seen the images and video knows how brutal this accident is,” he said.
“There are still dangerous things that are flammable and potentially explosive.”
Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Paul Humphrey said the crash site will be a “continuously active area for the next several days.”
He added: “We don't know how long it will take to make the area safe for the investigation.”
The aircraft model was the three-engine MD-11F, which first entered service with Thai Airways 34 years ago as a passenger aircraft but was transferred to UPS in 2006.
The aircraft was originally produced by McDonnell Douglas, which merged with Boeing in 1997.
In 2023, FedEx and UPS announced plans to begin retiring their MD-11 fleets over the next decade as part of plans to modernize their fleets.
In a statement, Boeing said it “stands ready to support our customer” and that “we care about the safety and well-being of all those affected.”
He added that he would offer technical assistance to the NTSB.
Louisville is home to UPS Worldport, the global delivery center for the company's air cargo operations and its largest package processing facility in the world.
UPS said in a statement that it was “terribly saddened” by the incident and would cease package sorting operations at Worldport on Tuesday evening.
It added: “UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, customers and the communities we serve. This is especially true in Louisville, where our airline and thousands of UPS employees are located.”
