What Caused the UPS Plane Crash in Kentucky? Here’s What We Know So Far

A UPS cargo plane exploded into a massive fireball while taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky on Nov. 4, leaving at least nine people dead and 11 injured, ABC7 reported. Authorities halted flights at the airport and issued shelter-in-place orders in the surrounding area due to the thick black smoke and potential hazardous fumes from the blaze.

Witnesses described a terrifying scene as the UPS jet struggled to gain altitude. “It fell out of the sky when I was working on the car, and that’s when we found out about the crash,” recalled Justin Dunn, who was working on a car with his son when they saw the plane coming down in flames. Investigators are now working to determine the cause of the crash.

The crash occurred around 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday as the 34-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-11 jet departed UPS Worldport bound for Honolulu. All three crew members on board were killed, along with multiple people on the ground, according to Reuters. The plane only managed to climb to about 150–175 feet before it spiraled back down, crashing just beyond the runway.

Investigators have not yet determined the exact cause of the disaster, but early evidence points to a catastrophic engine failure. One engine appears to have separated from the plane mid-takeoff, according to a person briefed on the matter who reviewed debris video.

More than 100 firefighters and first responders battled the flames. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg arrived to coordinate the response and provide updates. Beshear warned that the death toll could still rise as some people initially unaccounted for may have been in the wreckage of buildings hit by the plane. “Anybody who has seen the images, the video, knows how violent this crash is,” he told ABC7.

Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey said the crash scene must be made safe before a full probe can proceed. Portions of two runways were strewn with debris, and authorities shut down the entire airport overnight as a precaution. By Wednesday morning, one runway had reopened for limited flights, but the damaged runway will remain closed for more than a week. The plane also struck two businesses, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and Grade A Auto Parts, which were heavily damaged by the impact.

Federal agencies are leading the investigation. ABC7 reported that a team of 28 National Transportation Safety Board investigators arrived to begin combing through evidence and flight data recorders.

Veteran air safety expert John Cox explained that a tri-engine MD-11 should have been able to keep flying even if one engine failed. “It’s too big a fire for a normal, typical-engine fire,” Cox told Reuters. He added, “That airplane should have flown on two engines. So now we’ve got to look at what caused it not to fly.”

And while Cox suggested the possibility of structural damage or a loss of critical systems, the final determination will come from investigators.