UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville kills 12, injures more than dozen

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) - A UPS cargo plane crashed after taking off from the company’s delivery hub at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than a dozen others.

The death toll has risen throughout Wednesday, with Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg confirming the 12th fatality. Governor Andy Beshear earlier confirmed at least 11 people were killed, including a child. Others remain unaccounted for.

UPS said this is the deadliest crash in the company’s history and the deadliest plane crash in Kentucky in nearly two decades.

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Engine failure during takeoff

NTSB investigators said the MD-11 plane was taking off for Honolulu when its left engine fell off. Three crew members were on board the aircraft.

The crash directly impacted two businesses and shut down Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport last night. Some flight operations have resumed.

“Reality is this rocked our community. Louisville looked apocalyptic last night,” said Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky’s 3rd Congressional District. “The images of smoke coming over our city of debris falling in every neighborhood. People trapped in their homes. And families who lost someone, who won’t be coming home.”

Investigation underway

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and plans to be on-site at least a week. The large plume of smoke from the crash could be seen from miles away, and the debris field stretches half a mile long.

NTSB investigator Todd Inman said the agency will review maintenance records, airworthiness directives and service bulletins as part of the investigation.

“An aircraft that’s been flying for that many years, could have had multiple different generations,” Inman said. “It will be something we’ll look at, confirming whether the work was done, how it was done and who did it.”

The crash occurred at UPS’ major hub, referred to as Worldport, which handles about 400 packages an hour, some 300 flights a day and employs about 20,000 people.

Supporting the victims

GoFundMe has created a centralized hub housing all verified GoFundMe pages related to the plane crash. The page will updated as more fundraisers are verified.