UPS Cargo Plane Crashes After Takeoff in Louisville, Killing at Least Four and Injuring 11
- Staff Consortium
- November 04, 2025
A UPS cargo plane erupted into a massive fireball shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 4, killing at least four people and injuring 11 others in what Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear described as a "catastrophic crash." The McDonnell Douglas MD-11, Flight 2976 bound for Honolulu, Hawaii, went down around 5:15 p.m. local time in an industrial area just beyond the runway, striking two buildings and igniting a blaze fueled by approximately 38,000 gallons of jet fuel. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident in a statement, noting the aircraft carried three crew members and crashed after departing the runway. Beshear, addressing reporters at a late-evening briefing, said, "Anybody who has seen the images and the video know how violent this crash is, and there are a lot of families that are going to be waiting and wondering for a period of time." The death toll is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue into the night. Eme...