Fiery Kentucky plane crash leaves at least 9 dead, trail of destruction
THIS IS BREAKING NEWS. GOOD MORNING. WE ARE LIVE FROM LOUISVILLE. MUHAMMAD ALI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WE ARE STANDING BY WAITING TO HEAR FROM GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR, WHO IS JUST ARRIVED TO LOUISVILLE. WHO IS GOING TO TELL US MORE ON THIS DEADLY UPS PLANE CRASH AT APPROXIMATELY 5:14 P.M. EASTERN TIME ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON. UPS FLIGHT 2976 FROM LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, TO HONOLULU, HAWAII, AND MD 11, WITH THREE CREW MEMBERS ON BOARD, WAS INVOLVED IN A CATASTROPHIC CRASH IN LOUISVILLE. THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD SHOULD HAVE ARRIVED, AND I BELIEVE THEY HAVE IN LOUISVILLE. THEY WILL BE THE LEAD IN THE INVESTIGATION AND THEY’LL BE THE PRIMARY SOURCE ON ANY QUESTIONS OF CAUSATION MOVING FORWARD. I’LL BE TRAVELING TO LOUISVILLE AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON TO SURVEY THE DAMAGE WITH MAYOR CRAIG GREENBERG, AND WE’LL ADDRESS THE MEDIA AGAIN AFTERWARDS WITH ANOTHER UPDATE. OUR TEAM WILL SHARE DETAILS ON THAT TIMING. I WANT TO START BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE IMPRESSIVE WORK OF SO MANY FIRE DEPARTMENTS THAT TOOK WHAT WAS A BLAZING INFERNO CREATED BY A PLANE WITH 38,000 GALLONS OF OF OF FUEL OF AVIATION FUEL. AND WERE ABLE TO CONTAIN IT. IT COULD HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE AND HAVE, IN FACT GOTTEN THE SITUATION TO WHERE THE SHELTER IN PLACE IS, IS NOW SO MUCH SMALLER THAN ANYONE WOULD HAVE PREDICTED IT WOULD BE AT THIS TIME. REALLY INCREDIBLE WORK BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS. I WANT TO START WITH THE OKOLONA FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE MAIN DEPARTMENT RESPONDING. THEY’VE DONE AN INCREDIBLE JOB. THE LOUISVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE LOUISVILLE AIRPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT, FERN CREEK FIRE DEPARTMENT, PLEASURE RIDGE PARK FIRE DEPARTMENT, FAIRDALE ANCHORAGE MIDDLETOWN JEFFERSONTOWN JEFFERSONTOWN MOUNT WASHINGTON NICHOLS, LEBANON JUNCTION, SOUTHEAST BULLITT, LAGRANGE, SIMPSONVILLE. LEXINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, BARDSTOWN AND SHEPHERDSVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT. IN ADDITION, EXTRA FOAM TO FIGHT THE FIRE CAME FROM THE LEXINGTON AIRPORT, FROM CVG, AND FROM BARDSTOWN. IN TOTAL, OVER 50 TRUCKS RESPONDED AGAIN. A SURGE OF RESOURCES TO RESPOND TO A VERY SIGNIFICANT EXPLOSION AND FIRE. BUT WHAT THAT DOES IS IT MEANS THAT THAT ALL OF THOSE AVAILABLE RESOURCES ARE PUSHED TO THE SITE. BUT THROUGH CAREFUL PLANNING AND THROUGH MORE EFFORTS, WE MADE SURE WE BACKFILLED THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WERE AT THE SCENE. SO WE WANT TO THANK THE FOLLOWING FIRE DEPARTMENTS FOR BACKFILLING TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE ELSE WAS PROTECTED DURING THE SURGE OF RESOURCES. WE WANT TO THANK THE VINE GROVE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WEST POINT, SIMPSONVILLE, SHELBY COUNTY. I WANT TO THANK OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS THAT INCLUDE THE KENTUCKY NATIONAL GUARD, KENTUCKY OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY, LOUISVILLE EMA, THE AIRPORT POLICE DEPARTMENT, LOUISVILLE METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT, JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, SAINT MATTHEWS POLICE DEPARTMENT, SHIVELY POLICE DEPARTMENT, KENTUCKY STATE POLICE, LOUISVILLE METRO EMS, THE METRO SEWER DISTRICT, LOUISVILLE GAS & ELECTRIC, KENTUCKY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE, TASK FORCE ONE, KENTUCKY IRC, ERT, THE JEFFERSON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, THE JEFFERSON COUNTY CORONER, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, THE FBI, AND THERE ARE MORE. THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 201ST RESPONDERS THAT WERE ON THE SCENE LAST NIGHT, AND THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RESOURCES IN THE SEARCH AND RESCUE. AND ULTIMATELY, WHAT IS PROBABLY BY NOW, THE RECOVERY EFFORT THAT IS OCCURRING. I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO WAS WORKING OVERNIGHT WHEN IT WAS DANGEROUS, WHEN THERE WAS OTHER FLAMMABLE OR EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS, BUT THEY WERE SEARCHING TO TRY TO FIND ANY AND ALL SURVIVORS AND TO LOCATE ANY BODIES TO TRY TO GIVE FAMILIES THE CLOSURE THAT THEY DESERVE. AS OF THIS TIME, WE CAN CONFIRM THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NINE FATALITIES, BUT I’M NOW FAIRLY CONFIDENT THAT THAT NUMBER WILL GROW BY AT LEAST ONE. WE HOPE IT DOESN’T GROW BY TOO MANY MORE. I BELIEVE BY THIS AFTERNOON WE’LL HAVE A PRETTY GOOD GRASP OF BOTH THE NUMBER OF FATALITIES AND IF THERE ARE ANY, THE NUMBER OF MISSING PERSONS THAT WE’RE STILL LOOKING FOR. REMEMBER, THERE’S A VICTIM FAMILY REUNIFICATION CENTER AT THE LOUISVILLE METRO POLICE TRAINING ACADEMY, WHICH REMAINS OPEN. THAT ADDRESS IS 2911 TAYLOR BOULEVARD. AS OF LAST NIGHT, THERE HAVE BEEN 16 DIFFERENT FAMILIES THERE. I THINK THE MAYOR’S PROVIDING AN UPDATE WHERE THAT NUMBER MAY NOW HAVE SHRANK AT LEAST. INFORMATION I’M GETTING IS THOSE FAMILIES MAY NOT LINE UP WITH THE HOSPITAL PATIENTS, WHICH MEANS WE’VE GOT TO CONTINUE TO SEARCH THAT SITE. HOPE AND PRAY FOR THE BEST, BUT KNOW THERE MAY BE MORE LOSS OF LIFE THAT WE’RE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT TODAY. TWO BUSINESSES WERE DIRECTLY IMPACTED KENTUCKY PETROLEUM RECYCLING AND GRADE A AUTO PARTS. THANKFULLY, A LOCAL RESTAURANT THAT IS RIGHT THERE THAT WE HAD GREAT CONCERN WOULD BE IMPACTED AND WE WOULD LOSE WHOEVER WAS IN. IT WAS MISSED AND NOW IS HELPING THE SEARCH AND RESCUE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THEM. ANOTHER BLESSING IS THIS PLANE COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY HIT THE MAJOR FORD FACTORY OR THE CONVENTION CENTER. THOSE ARE ALL CLOSE BY AND DID NOT THE RADIUS FOR THE SHELTER IN PLACE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. LOUISVILLE METRO IS PUTTING OUT GUIDANCE TO RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IMMEDIATELY AROUND THE CRASH SITE TO NOT CONSUME WATER. EEC, THE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT CABINET IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE CITY ON THIS. OTHER AREAS ARE SAFE NOW. IF YOU ARE IN THE SUBURBS, IF YOU’RE IN OTHER PARTS OF OF LOUISVILLE, YOU ARE AS SAFE TODAY AS YOU’VE BEEN ANY OTHER DAY. THE THE AIR IS FINE, YOUR WATER IS FINE. BUT THAT IMMEDIATELY AROUND THE CRASH SITE, WE’RE JUST TRYING TO BE VERY CAREFUL. IN NEW NEWS TODAY, FOLLOWING YESTERDAY’S EVENTS, I’M DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY TO HELP US DEAL WITH THIS PLANE CRASH. IT ALLOWS US TO MOVE RESOURCES MORE QUICKLY THROUGH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND THE KENTUCKY NATIONAL GUARD. IT WILL ALLOW STATE RESOURCES TO BE USED ALSO THROUGH OUR AGENCIES TO BE READILY AVAILABLE, INCLUDING DISASTER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT EXPENSES RELATED TO RESPONSE, AND MORE, AS WELL AS REIMBURSEMENT. IT’S GOING TO HELP TO TO MAKE SURE THAT GROUPS THAT ARE ALREADY LIMITED IN TERMS OF THEIR FUNDING CAN GET SOME IMMEDIATE OR SHORT TERM HELP AS THEY WAIT FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE COSTS THAT THEY’VE EXPENDED. ADDITIONALLY, I’VE TAKEN ACTION TO ESTABLISH THE TEAM KENTUCKY EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND TO HELP THOSE AFFECTED BY THIS TERRIBLE EVENT. THE URL FOR THIS SITE IS GOING TO BE ON THE SCREEN. SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS STORM DISASTER FUNDS, EVERY DOLLAR DONATED WILL GO DIRECTLY TO THOSE AFFECTED. IN FACT, WHAT WE’VE DONE IS WE’VE GONE AND AMENDED THE TEAM KENTUCKY STORM RELIEF FUND TO NOW ALLOW FAMILIES IMPACTED BY A DISASTER LIKE THIS TO ALSO BENEFIT FROM THE GENEROSITY OF KENTUCKIANS. REMEMBER, THE FIRST THING THAT WE PAY FOR OUT OF THESE FUNDS ARE FUNERALS, SO THAT IN A TIME OF GRIEF, NOBODY IS WORRIED ABOUT THAT. IN KENTUCKY, WE WE GRIEVE TOGETHER AND WE SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. DONATIONS WILL HELP PAY FOR FOR FUNERALS AND FOR RESPONSE, RECOVERY AND REBUILDING. ALL RIGHT, WHILE KENTUCKY IS RESPONDING TO THIS CRISIS IN LOUISVILLE FOLLOWING YESTERDAY’S DEADLY PLANE CRASH, WE MUST ALSO REMEMBER THE CHALLENGES THAT OUR FAMILIES ARE FACING DUE TO A LACK OF SNAP BENEFITS BROUGHT ON BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT WAS UNDER ATTACK EARLY BY THE PRESIDENT FOLLOWING THE BIG UGLY BILL. THAT’S WHY IN JUNE, I WROTE A LETTER TO KENTUCKY’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION URGING THEM TO CONSIDER THE HARMFUL IMPACTS OF THIS LEGISLATION AND HOW IT WOULD HIT OUR PEOPLE. BECAUSE SNAP IS CRUCIAL FOR KENTUCKY IN OUR COMMONWEALTH, OVER 600,000. AND WE JUST HEARD FROM KENTUCKY GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR, WHO IS LIVE IN FRANKFORT, FOR US THIS MORNING. HE JUST DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY, AND THAT IS TO SPEED UP RECOVERY EFFORTS AS WELL AS REIMBURSEMENTS. HE ALSO MENTIONED PAYING FOR FUNERALS WITH THE KENTUCKY RELIEF FUND. HE ALSO JUST TALKED ABOUT THE HUGE RESPONSE FROM DOZENS OF AGENCIES LAST NIGHT, SEVERAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS FROM OUR AREA CAME TOGETHER. AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER TODAY, 100 CREWS WORKED TOGETHER TO PUT THAT FIRE, MASSIVE FIRE OUT LAST NIGHT, EVEN SOME OF THEM RESPONDING FROM LEXINGTON AND BARDSTOWN. WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE WERE TWO BUSINESSES THAT WERE HIT BY THIS PLANE AS IT WAS GOING DOWN, SO THAT WAS GREAT. A AUTO PARTS AND KENTUCKY PETROLEUM RECYCLING, AGAIN, THE DEATH TOLL IS AT NINE RIGHT NOW, WITH SEVERAL STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR. AND WE ARE EXPECTING THAT DEATH TOLL TO RISE. AND ANOTHER THING TO NOTE HERE IS IF YOU LIVE IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA AROUND THE CRASH SITE, WHERE THERE IS STILL A SHELTER IN PLACE FOR ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILE, YOU ARE BEING TOLD NOT TO DRINK ANY WATER IN THAT AREA. THERE WERE ALSO SOME PEOPLE ASKING ABOUT AIR QUALITY. THAT IS ANOTHER THING THAT WE ARE STILL MONITORING. MAYOR GREENBERG WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT EARLIER TODAY. SO THEY’RE MONITORING THE AIR QUALITY AS WELL. AGAIN, STAY INSIDE. IF YOU’RE IN THAT QUARTER MILE AREA OF THE CRASH SITE AND WE ARE EXPECTING TO GET AN UPDATE FROM MAYOR GREENBERG, JEFFERSON COUNTY AND LOUISVILLE OFFICIALS AT NOON TODAY, I’M LIVE FROM MUHAMMAD ALI INTERNA
Fiery Kentucky plane crash leaves at least 9 dead, trail of destruction
Updated: 11:37 AM CST Nov 5, 2025
First responders were searching for more victims Wednesday after a UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded in a massive fireball at the company’s global aviation hub in Kentucky, killing at least nine people, authorities said.The plane crashed about 5:15 p.m. as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said. 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. The death toll had risen to at least nine on Wednesday morning, and four of those killed were not on the plane, officials said. A shelter-in-place order was in effect for a quarter of a mile radius, as officials monitored air quality. People in the immediate area were told not to drink tap water.Among 15 people who were hurt, some had “very significant” injuries, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said, adding he expects the death toll to increase. “Anybody who has seen the images, the video, knows how violent this crash is,” he said. The governor has also declared a state of emergency. “Thankfully, a local restaurant that is right there … was missed and now is helping the search and rescue,” Beshear said during a news conference Wednesday. “Another blessing is this plane could have potentially hit the major Ford factory or the convention center, those are all close by, and did not.”There were “extra smaller explosions” at Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, but it could have been worse, the governor said. Grade A Auto Parts was also hit.Sister station WLKY reports that at least two people are in critical condition and at least eight have non-life-threatening injuries. There are at least two others missing from a nearby auto shop.UPS’s largest package handling facility is located in Louisville, and the company announced on Tuesday night that it had halted package sorting at the center, without specifying when it would resume. The hub employs thousands of workers, has 300 daily flights and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.The governor said a business, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, appeared to be “hit pretty directly,” and a nearby auto parts operation was also affected.Beshear said he didn’t know the status of the three crew members aboard the plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 made in 1991. 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.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. 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.”The Associated Press contributed to this story.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. —
First responders were searching for more victims Wednesday after a UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded in a massive fireball at the company’s global aviation hub in Kentucky, killing at least nine people, authorities said.
The plane crashed about 5:15 p.m. as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
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.
The death toll had risen to at least nine on Wednesday morning, and four of those killed were not on the plane, officials said. A shelter-in-place order was in effect for a quarter of a mile radius, as officials monitored air quality. People in the immediate area were told not to drink tap water.
Among 15 people who were hurt, some had “very significant” injuries, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said, adding he expects the death toll to increase.
“Anybody who has seen the images, the video, knows how violent this crash is,” he said. The governor has also declared a state of emergency.
“Thankfully, a local restaurant that is right there … was missed and now is helping the search and rescue,” Beshear said during a news conference Wednesday. “Another blessing is this plane could have potentially hit the major Ford factory or the convention center, those are all close by, and did not.”
There were “extra smaller explosions” at Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, but it could have been worse, the governor said. Grade A Auto Parts was also hit.
Sister station WLKY reports that at least two people are in critical condition and at least eight have non-life-threatening injuries. There are at least two others missing from a nearby auto shop.
UPS’s largest package handling facility is located in Louisville, and the company announced on Tuesday night that it had halted package sorting at the center, without specifying when it would resume. The hub employs thousands of workers, has 300 daily flights and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.
The governor said a business, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, appeared to be “hit pretty directly,” and a nearby auto parts operation was also affected.
Beshear said he didn’t know the status of the three crew members aboard the plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 made in 1991.
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.
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.
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.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.