No less than 12 individuals are useless after the left engine separated from a UPS aircraft when departing Louisville Muhammad Ali Worldwide Airport in Kentucky on Tuesday and it crashed in a ball of flames, authorities mentioned.
The plane’s three crew members and 9 others who haven’t but been recognized are among the many deceased, in keeping with Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.
Gov. Andy Beshear mentioned at a press briefing earlier Wednesday that one of many victims is believed to be a younger youngster, “which makes it all of the more durable.”
Smoke and flames rising from the positioning of a UPS cargo aircraft crash exterior Louisville Worldwide Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, November 4, 2025.
@LeviDean98/X through AFP through Getty Photographs
The coroner is on the scene trying to find out the identities of the victims, however Beshear mentioned that shall be “somewhat harder” as a result of situation of the our bodies.
Two people who had been hospitalized nonetheless stay in vital situation, Beshear mentioned.
Beshear, accompanied by Greenberg and Congressman Morgan McGarvey, visited the crash website on Wednesday, with McGarvey saying it was “like a scene out of a ‘Terminator’ film.”
“The smells, the sights. These are issues that aren’t going to flee us after we shut our eyes tonight,” McGarvey mentioned.
Smoke and flames rise as a UPS cargo aircraft crashes in Louisville, Kentucky, November 4, 2025.
Kentucky Truck Components & Service through Reuters
Earlier within the day, Greenberg mentioned earlier within the day — when the demise depend reached 9 — that he anticipated it to rise.
“There aren’t any phrases that I can present to any members of the family which can be looking for details about somebody that they could imagine may need been close to the scene of the crash that they have not heard from but,” Greenberg informed ABC Information Dwell on Wednesday.
A “very giant subject of particles” nonetheless stays on the website of the crash as officers attempt to “discover another victims as quickly as we probably can,” Greenberg mentioned.
Throughout a briefing on Wednesday, the Nationwide Transportation Security Board mentioned the aircraft’s black containers have been recovered and they are going to be despatched to Washington, D.C., for evaluation.
Whereas a possible reason behind the crash was not revealed, the NTSB mentioned the aircraft’s left engine indifferent after a “giant plume of fireside” erupted from the left wing.
“The aircraft lifted off and gained sufficient altitude to clear the fence on the finish of runway 17R. Shortly after clearing that fence, it made affect with constructions and the terrain off of the airport property,” in keeping with NTSB board member Todd Inman.
A plume of smoke wafts over airport property after studies of a aircraft crash at Louisville Worldwide Airport, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky.
Jon Cherry/AP
Beshear declared a state of emergency on Wednesday to assist within the response to the aircraft crash. He mentioned he believes the fatality depend will develop to no less than another sufferer.
College of Louisville Well being mentioned it acquired 15 sufferers within the airport incident, two of whom had been in vital situation in a burn middle.
“Louisville seemed apocalyptic final night time,” McGarvey mentioned on Wednesday.
Smoke and flames rising from the positioning of a UPS cargo aircraft crash exterior Louisville Worldwide Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, November 4, 2025.
Stephen Cohen/Getty Photographs
Search and restoration efforts will proceed for “no less than every week or longer,” Okolona Hearth Safety District Chief Mark Little mentioned on Wednesday.
Video captured the second the aircraft — loaded up with hundreds of gallons of gasoline for a long-distance flight to Hawaii — crashed, leading to a big fireball.
Two companies on the bottom had been impacted by the crash, Beshear mentioned.
One enterprise, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, seems to have been “hit fairly straight,” whereas one other enterprise, Grade A Auto Components, was additionally impacted, Beshear mentioned. Two staff from Grade A Auto Components had been unaccounted for, he mentioned.
“It might be a while earlier than we will account for everybody or know that nobody else was on the grounds,” Beshear mentioned.
Jefferson County Public Colleges mentioned all colleges shall be closed on Wednesday resulting from a shelter-in-place order, however are anticipated to open on Thursday after inspections confirmed the water and air high quality had been secure.
UPS Flight 2976 crashed round 5:15 p.m. native time on Tuesday, in keeping with the Federal Aviation Administration. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter aircraft was headed to Daniel Okay. Inouye Worldwide Airport in Honolulu, the company mentioned.
The aircraft crashed roughly 3 miles south of the airfield, in keeping with officer Jonathan Biven with the Louisville Regional Airport Authority.
Smoke and flames rising from the positioning of a UPS cargo aircraft crash exterior Louisville Worldwide Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, November 4, 2025.
Jon Cherry/AP
Members of the Nationwide Transportation Security Board arrived to the crash website on Wednesday and can “analyze each little bit of what occurred,” McGarvey mentioned.
CCTV safety protection confirmed the “engine detaching from the wing through the takeoff roll,” Inman mentioned.
The NTSB shall be on the scene “for no less than every week,” because the particles from the crash covers half a mile, Inman mentioned. The FBI can also be helping within the investigation, the NTSB mentioned.
The NTSB didn’t reveal when they may launch a preliminary report on the crash.
The aircraft was carrying roughly 220,000 kilos of jet gasoline, which is about 38,000 gallons, officers mentioned.
The airport is residence to UPS Worldport, the corporate’s large bundle dealing with facility, which is able to stay closed on Wednesday.
“Our heartfelt ideas are with everybody concerned,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement. “UPS is dedicated to the protection of our staff, our clients and the communities we serve. That is significantly true in Louisville, residence to our airline and hundreds of UPSers.”
The FAA and the Nationwide Transportation Security Board are investigating the crash.
The airport reopened at about 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Authorities mentioned they count on the scene to be lively for the following a number of days.
There wasn’t any hazardous cargo on board the aircraft, in keeping with Beshear.
ABC Information’ Luke Barr, Sam Sweeney and Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.
