At least 3 dead, 11 injured in UPS plane crash in Kentucky and governor says numbers likely to grow
A UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded Tuesday while taking off from an airport in Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least three people and injuring 11 more, the state's governor said.
The plane crashed about 5:15 p.m. as it was departing for Honolulu from Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
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“Right now we believe we have at least three fatalities, though I believe that number is going to get larger. We have at least 11 injuries, some of them very significant," Gov. Andy Beshear said.
UPS officials previously said there were three crewmembers on board.
Video 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. Video also revealed portions of a building’s shredded roof next to the end of the runway.
Because of the long trip, it was fully fueled, leading to the large fire. It spread easily to nearby facilities, like a large recycling center.
“Anybody who has seen the images, the video, knows how violent this crash is,” Beshear said.
He said he didn't know the status of the three crew members aboard the plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 made in 1991.
UPS said the National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the investigation and will be the primary source of information about the official investigation.
“This will be an ongoing active scene for the next several days. We don’t know how long it’s going to take to render that scene safe,” said Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey.
According to the FAA National Airspace Status System, the Louisville airport will be closed until 7 a.m. ET Wednesday.
WARNING: Video below shows the fiery crash. Viewer discretion advised.
A video taken by Leirim Rodríguez shows several massive balls of flames exploding into the sky in a row, followed by large billowing clouds of black smoke. Rodriguez told the AP she and her husband just happened to be in the area at the time of the explosion.
Destyn Mitchell said she was working as a host at an Outback restaurant, about a 15-minute drive from the crash, when she heard a “very loud boom.” About 20 people were in the restaurant.
“The mood in the restaurant was very shaken up,” Mitchell said. “Everyone is really concerned. People who just sat down to eat got up and left in under 30 minutes and packed up their food because they wanted to hurry up and get home.”
A shelter-in-place order was extended to all areas north of the airport to the Ohio River. The Louisville airport is only a 10-minute drive from the city’s downtown, which sits on the river bordering the Indiana state line. There are residential areas, a water park and museums in the area.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
