Search for victims continues at charred site of deadly Kentucky plane crash
THIS IS BREAKING NEWS. A HORRIFIC CRASH STRIKES THE LOUISVILLE COMMUNITY. I SAW LOOKED LIKE A WAR ZONE. CREWS ARE STILL SEARCHING FOR VICTIMS AS INVESTIGATORS ARRIVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW THIS HAPPENED. TONIGHT, WE’RE LEARNING WHAT THEY FOUND AT THE SCENE. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER AND THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER AND HEARING FROM KENTUCKY’S LEADERS WHO SAW THE SITE OF THE CRASH FIRSTHAND. WHAT YOU SEE ARE MANGLED REMNANTS OF WHAT WAS IN ITS PATH. PLUS, WHAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO KNOW DURING THIS STATE OF EMERGENCY. GOOD EVENING. WE BEGIN NEW TONIGHT WITH VIDEO. A NEW VIDEO SHOWING US OUR FIRST LOOK AT THE SCENE OF THE DEADLY UPS PLANE CRASH AT THE LOUISVILLE AIRPORT. KENTUCKY LEADERS TOURED THE SITE, DESCRIBING IT AS A CHARRED AND MANGLED WRECKAGE. WE NOW KNOW 12 PEOPLE ARE DEAD, WITH STILL MORE UNACCOUNTED FOR. IN JUST AN. UPS’S, WORLDPORT OPERATIONS WILL RESUME TONIGHT WITH THE GOAL OF RETURNING TO NORMAL FLIGHT OPERATIONS TOMORROW MORNING. OUR WLKY TEAM IS LIVE TONIGHT. FOLLOWING THESE BREAKING DEVELOPMENTS AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE CRASH. RICK IS AT THE AIRPORT TONIGHT. RICK MOORE, THE AIRPORT IS NOW REOPENING. YES, ABSOLUTELY. VICKI. THEY’RE TRYING TO RETURN TO NORMALCY. I WAS WALKING AROUND BAGGAGE CLAIM, AND PEOPLE WERE GOING ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. BUT THOSE THAT LIVED THROUGH YESTERDAY, YOU AND I AND EVERYBODY ELSE IN OUR COMMUNITY WERE SCARRED FOR LIFE AS AFTER THAT CRASH YESTERDAY, WE LEARNED AN HOUR AND A HALF AGO THAT THE EAST RUNWAY IS NOW OPEN. SO THAT’S TWO OF THREE RUNWAYS HERE AT LOUISVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT THAT ARE UP AND RUNNING, TRYING TO GET BACK TO NORMAL ACTIVITY. FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS ARE ON SCENE HERE IN LOUISVILLE. 28 MEMBERS OF THE NTSB WILL BE IN HERE INVESTIGATING, GETTING ALL THE DEBRIS TOGETHER AND ANALYZING WHAT CAUSED THE CRASH. AVIATION OFFICIALS SPENT THE DAY TRYING TO CONSOLE THOSE THAT WERE INVOLVED WITH THIS HOUR. NORMAN SEAWRIGHT TALKED WITH MEMBERS OF BOTH. WHAT THEY HAVE TO TELL YOU. WELL, TO START WITH, RICK, THE NTSB, OF COURSE, SAYS THEY’RE LOOKING AT EVERYTHING THEY CAN, STUDYING EVERYTHING THEY CAN, AND JUST LOOKING THROUGH IT ALL TO NOT ONLY FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED, BUT ALSO TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY’RE GOING TO BE STUDYING, OF COURSE, INCLUDE ALL THE EVIDENCE THEY CAN FIND, DEBRIS, EVERYTHING WE’VE TOLD YOU ABOUT DEBRIS ALL OVER THE AREA. AND THEY HAVE VIDEO THAT SHOWS AN ENGINE DETACHING FROM THE LEFT WING, AND THEY’RE STUDYING THAT ALONG WITH RECORDS. EVERYTHING FROM CREW MEMBERS TO AIRCRAFT TO MAINTENANCE AND THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER, WHICH THEY’VE RECOVERED. THEY ALSO CALL THAT A BLACK BOX THAT IS ALSO BEING WORKED ON RIGHT NOW AS WELL. AND WHILE THEY DO THAT, THE INDEPENDENT PILOTS ASSOCIATION, WHICH IS THE UNION THAT REPRESENTS UPS PILOTS, IS OFFERING SUPPORT TO THE CREW MEMBERS FAMILIES AS WELL AS OTHER MEMBERS OF THEIR UNION WHO ARE JUST TRYING RIGHT NOW TO PROCESS AND COPE WITH THIS TRAGEDY. WE HAVE A MANTRA THAT USED TO BE IN FRONT OF OUR TRAINING FACILITY, AND IT’S FROM TRAGEDY. WE DRAW KNOWLEDGE TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY FOR ALL, AND SO FOR EVERY TRAGEDY WE’VE HAD, WE DRAW MORE KNOWLEDGE AND WE TRY TO LEARN FROM THAT. AND WE HOPE THAT WE DON’T REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES. SO IN THIS CASE, I’M SURE WE’RE GOING TO LEARN SOME NEW THINGS. WE’RE GOING TO MAKE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AND SOME FINDINGS. WHAT THEY ARE YET WE DO NOT KNOW. BUT I WOULD SAY A FREIGHTER THAT’S FULLY LOADED, THAT’S GOING TO HONOLULU, IS GOING TO HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT OF FUEL. AND THAT OBVIOUSLY WAS PART OF THE POST-ACCIDENT RESPONSE. IT WAS A IT WAS A TOUGH NIGHT. IT’S BEEN A HARD DAY. THERE’LL BE MORE HARD DAYS AHEAD. WORDS JUST DON’T DESCRIBE WHAT IT’S LIKE HAVING TO MAKE THAT KIND OF CONTACT. THOSE KIND OF PHONE CALLS. YOU KNOW, TO LOVED ONES OF SOMEBODY WHO’S INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. AND THAT’S IT’S IT’S NEVER FUN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. IT’S TOUGH. IT’S IT’S A TOUGH THING TO DO. AND I HAVE SPOKEN TO ALL THREE OF THE SPOUSES OF THE PILOTS, OUR PILOTS WHO WERE ON THAT AIRCRAFT. THAT WAS IPA PRESIDENT BOB TRAVIS. AND HE SAID HE’S ALSO GOT ALL KINDS OF SUPPORT FROM OTHER PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY IN HIS POSITION. EVEN BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FROM POLITICIANS AS WELL, AND OTHER FEDERAL LEADERS. AND HE SAYS THAT NOT JUST IPA, BUT UPS AS WELL IS OFFERING SUPPORT TO THOSE CREW MEMBERS, FAMILIES AND OF COURSE, OTHER CREW MEMBERS AND OTHER PEOPLE CONNECTED AND WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY ALL OF THIS. OF COURSE, THEIR THOUGHTS GOING OUT TO EVERYONE WHO WAS AFFECTED AS WELL. SO NOT JUST THAT, BUT THE NTSB, AS YOU KNOW, WILL BE HERE INVESTIGATING FOR AT THE VERY LEAST A WEEK, RICK, A WEEK. AND THEY SAID THEY WILL NOT BE DOING A PRELIMINARY REPORT. THEY’RE GOING TO WAIT UNTIL IT’S COMPLETELY FINAL. AND THAT COULD BE A YEAR OR LONGER BEFORE WE GET THAT REPORT. NORMAN THOSE THINGS HAPPEN AS AS THOSE INVESTIGATIONS COME. I MEAN, WE’VE SEEN A FEW OF THEM COME OUT RECENTLY THAT WERE A YEAR OR TWO OLD. ANYWAY. SO YOU’RE CORRECT ABOUT THAT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. NORMAN. WELL, TODAY, STATE LEADERS AND CITY LEADERS GOT TO SEE THE DEBRIS FIELD, THE FIRE FIELD, IF YOU WILL, AND IT’S MASSIVE. IT’S OVER A HALF MILE LONG OFF OF GREAT LANE. JAMIE MAYES JOINS US NOW FROM INSIDE THE AIRPORT. AND JAMIE I WAS TOUCHED BY HOW EMOTIONAL IT WAS FOR THE GOVERNOR, FOR MAYOR GREENBERG AND FOR CONGRESSMAN MORGAN MCGARVEY AS WELL. THAT’S RIGHT. RICK. IT WAS A SCENE GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR DESCRIBED AS VIOLENCE. OFFICIALS RELEASED VIDEO SHOWING THE DAMAGE AND DESTRUCTION WHICH WAS LEFT BEHIND. AND IT’S HEARTBREAKING. MAYOR CRAIG GREENBERG, ALONG WITH CONGRESSMAN MORGAN MCGARVEY, WERE WITH GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR AT THE SITE OF THAT CRASH. TODAY. THEY SAY THE AREA THE PLANE HIT WAS DESTROYED. REMNANTS OF WHAT WAS IN THE PATH WERE BURNT AND BLACKENED. THERE WERE PILES OF RUBBLE, DESTROYED CARS AND LOTS OF BURNT METAL IN THAT WRECKAGE, BESHEAR SAID. THEY ARE NOW MOVING FROM RESCUE TO RECOVERY MODE, AS THEY DON’T EXPECT TO FIND ANYONE ELSE ALIVE. MCGARVEY DESCRIBED HOW OVERWHELMING WALKING THROUGH THIS CRASH SITE WAS TODAY. SKIES OVER LOUISVILLE LOOKED APOCALYPTIC LAST NIGHT. PEOPLE SCARED ALL OVER OUR COMMUNITY, DEBRIS FALLING, ASH FALLING, PEOPLE SHELTERING IN PLACE. MY FAMILY, ONE OF THOSE FAMILIES. BUT WHAT? THE THREE OF US JUST WENT AND WITNESSED AT THE SITE? IT’S LIKE A SCENE OUT OF A TERMINATOR MOVIE. AND BESHEAR SAYS THAT THE FIRST RESPONDERS WILL HAVE LIMITED OPERATIONS AT THE SITE AT NIGHT TO PROTECT THEIR SAFETY. BACK TO YOU, RICK. ALL RIGHT. THANKS, JAMIE. WELL, TO HONOR THOSE 12 LIVES, THE VICKY TOLD YOU DIED IN THE CRASH. AND LET’S HOPE THAT NUMBER HOLDS THERE. BUT THERE ARE STILL MANY MEMBERS THAT ARE STILL MISSING, ALONG WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THIS CRASH. TEAMSTERS LOCAL 89, WHICH REPRESENTS TRANSPORTATION AND WAREHOUSE WORKERS, IS HOSTING A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL AT 5:00 TOMORROW AT THEIR UNION HALL ON TAYLOR BOULEVARD, AND ALL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THAT. AND WE HOPE THERE IS A BIG TURNOUT FOR, WELL, I KNOW THERE IS ONE. THERE’S TWO PEOPLE STILL IN CRITICAL CONDITION. ONE OF THEM IS 37 YEARS OLD FROM HERE, HAS TWO CHILDREN, 95% BURNS OVER HIS BODY. SO SEND OUT PRAYERS FOR THAT FAMILY AS WELL. WE WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK THE INVESTIGATION AND THE CONDITIONS WHERE IT’S WINDY OUT HERE AT THE LOUISVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. BUT FOR NOW, LET’S GO BACK TO THE STUDIO. AND VICKY, THANK YOU. NEW TONIGHT, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL IS REPORTING THE MD 11 PLANE INVOLVED IN THE CRASH WAS GROUNDED IN TEXAS IN SEPTEMBER AND NEEDED A PERMANENT REPAIR TO ITS FUEL TANK. THEY CITED FLIGHT RECORDS. WE LOOKED UP THOSE RECORDS ON FLIGHTAWARE, WHICH SHOWS THE PLANE FLEW TO SAN ANTONIO ON SEPTEMBER 3RD. THERE IS NOT ANOTHER RECORDED FLIGHT UNTIL OCTOBER 18TH FROM SAN ANTONIO TO LOUISVILLE. FLIGHTAWARE SHOWS THAT THEN FLEW ALMOST EVERY DAY AFTER THAT. AT LAST CHECK, TWO PATIENTS ARE STILL IN CRITICAL CONDITION AT THE HOSPITAL. TONIGHT, THEY’RE AMONG THE 15 PEOPLE WHO WERE TREATED AT SEVERAL UOFL HEALTH FACILITIES. THE OTHER 13 PATIENTS HAS SINCE BEEN RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL. AND TONIGHT, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SAYS IT’S TRYING TO CLEAR UP CONFUSION CIRCULATING ONLINE ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED DURING THAT UPS PLANE CRASH. OUR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, JACKIE DEFUSCO IS ON CAPITOL HILL WITH ITS MESSAGE. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SEAN DUFFY SAYS THERE ARE A LOT OF VIDEOS ONLINE AND A LOT OF THEORIES SWIRLING ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED HERE. WE ARE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF THEORIES. WE DON’T SPECULATE. WE ARE GOING TO WAIT FOR THE FACTS TO COME OUT. SECRETARY DUFFY SAYS THE FAA ALSO HAS A TEAM ON THE GROUND THERE IN LOUISVILLE, WORKING WITH THE NTSB. HE APPLAUDED THE WORK THAT THEY’VE DONE SO FAR, WHILE ALSO EXTENDING CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES IN THIS CRASH. SECRETARY DUFFY SAYS THAT HE TALKED WITH THE HEAD OF THE UNION FOR UPS PILOTS, AS WELL, AND THE TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY MADE THESE REMARKS ABOUT THE UPS CRASH WHILE ALSO ANNOUNCING ALONGSIDE THE FAA A PLANNED REDUCTION IN AIR TRAFFIC STARTING THIS FRIDAY. AS A WAY, HE SAID, TO EASE THE PRESSURE. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ARE FACING AMID THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. HOWEVER, SECRETARY DUFFY ALSO UNDERSCORED THAT THIS CRASH WAS NOT RELATED TO THE SHUTDOWN. THIS WAS NOT AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL ISSUE. IT APPEARS THAT IT WAS A MECHANICAL ISSUE. EVERYONE’S BEEN CLEAR ON THAT. THE TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SAYS AS MORE INFORMATION EMERGES FROM THIS INVESTIGATION INTO THE UPS CRASH THAT HIS AGENCY AND THE NTSB WILL SHARE IT WITH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. REPORTING ON CAPITOL HILL. I’M JACKIE DEFUSCO WLKY NEWS. NOW, THE DEBRIS FIELD IS EVEN LARGER THAN ORIGINALLY THOUGHT. THE NTSB CONFIRMED THIS AFTERNOON THAT IT SPANS BETWEEN A HALF AND THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE. ADDIE MEINERS EXPLAINS THE SCOPE OF THE HORRIFIC SCENE. NOW, RIGHT NOW, WE ARE NOT SURE JUST EXACTLY HOW MANY BUSINESSES WERE DIRECTLY AFFECTED, BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT INSIDE OF THAT, JUST AROUND SQUARE ONE SQUARE MILE RADIUS, THAT THERE ARE ABOUT 15 BUSINESSES IN THAT AREA. NOW, IN A PRESS CONFERENCE EARLIER TODAY, MAYOR CRAIG GREENBERG CONFIRMED THAT AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE DON’T KNOW HOW MANY BUSINESSES WERE DIRECTLY HIT. BUT WE DO KNOW IN THE TOTAL AREA OF THAT DEBRIS FIELD, IT SPANS APPROXIMATELY A HALF MILE. NOW, OFFICIALS CONFIRM THAT THE DEBRIS FIELD IS FROM CRITTENDEN DRIVE TO THE NORTH TO JUST SOUTH ON MILTON AVENUE, GRADE LANE ON THE WEST, AND HAWKINS AVENUE TO THE EAST. NOW, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM WLKY NEWS CHOPPER CREWS ARE OUT ON SCENE. THEY’VE BEEN SURVEYING THE DAMAGE ALL DAY LONG AND CHECKING IT OUT. I SPOKE WITH METRO EMERGENCY SERVICES EARLIER TODAY WHO TOLD ME THEY DON’T KNOW YET HOW MANY ACRES OF LAND WERE BURNED UP DIRECTLY AS A RESULT OF THIS CRASH, BUT THEY’RE WORKING TO DETERMINE THAT WITHIN THE HALF MILE THAT WAS DIRECTLY IMPACTED. THEY SAY IT’S MORE THAN LIKELY GOING TO BE A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THEY ARE ABLE TO GET US THAT ANSWER. NOW, WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, THIS IS OUTER LOOP AND GRAY LANE. AND AS YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME, WE’VE GOT POLICE LIGHTS HERE. THAT’S BECAUSE THEY HAVE POLICE BLOCKING OFF GRAY LANE. WE’VE GOT SOME CREWS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING IN AND OUT ALL DAY LONG. AS WE HAVE BEEN CAMPED OUT HERE. SO THAT IS ALL THAT CAN GET THROUGH HERE ON GRAY LANE FROM OUTER LOOP. GRAY LANE IS BLOCK IS BLOCKED OFF. AND THEN ALSO FERN VALLEY ROAD ON THE OTHER SIDE. THAT IS WHERE GRAY LANE IS COMPLETELY BLOCKED OFF. YOU CAN ONLY GET THERE IF YOU ARE AN EMERGENCY CREW MEMBER AND HAVE A REASON TO BE THERE. SO I DID ASK METRO EMERGENCY SERVICES EXACTLY WHEN THEY THINK GRAY LANE IS GOING TO BE BACK OPEN AGAIN, AND I HAVE NOT YET HEARD A RESPONSE FROM OUTER LOOP AND GRAY LANE. I’M ADDIE MEINERS WLKY NEWS AT A GREAT A. AUTO PARTS SUSTAINED CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE FROM THE CRASH AFTER A MASSIVE FIRE SPARKED COMPANIES SCRAP HOUSE WAS COMPLETELY OBLITERATED. WE’RE TOLD THREE EMPLOYEES BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN ON SITE WHEN THE PLANE CRASHED ARE STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR. I LOOKED LIKE A WAR ZONE. WHAT I SAW AND WHAT I SMELLED AND WHAT I FELT WERE STILL HEAT AND SMOKE AND OIL AND BURNING AND KNOWING THAT THEY TOLD US THERE WERE STILL BODIES THERE THAT WERE UNIDENTIFIABLE. GREA
Search for victims continues at charred site of deadly Kentucky plane crash
Updated: 5:00 AM EST Nov 6, 2025
The grim task of finding victims from the firestorm that followed the crash of a UPS cargo plane in Louisville, Kentucky, entered a third day Thursday as investigators gather information to determine why the aircraft caught fire and lost an engine on takeoff.The inferno consumed the enormous plane and spread to nearby businesses, killing at least 12 people, including a child, and leaving little hope of finding survivors in the charred area of the crash at UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub.The plane crashed about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said. After being cleared for takeoff, a large fire developed in the left wing, said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.The plane gained enough altitude to clear the fence at the end of the runway before crashing just outside Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, Inman told reporters.Airport security video “shows the left engine detaching from the wing during the takeoff roll,” he said.The cockpit voice recorder and data recorder were recovered, and the engine was discovered on the airfield, Inman said.“There are a lot of different parts of this airplane in a lot of different places,” he said, describing a debris field that stretched for half a mile.The death toll had risen to at least 11 on Wednesday afternoon, and four of those killed were not on the plane, officials said. A shelter-in-place order was in effect for a quarter-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. There are also 16 people missing.”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. Thirteen people have been discharged from the University of Louisville hospital.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. —
The grim task of finding victims from the firestorm that followed the crash of a UPS cargo plane in Louisville, Kentucky, entered a third day Thursday as investigators gather information to determine why the aircraft caught fire and lost an engine on takeoff.
The inferno consumed the enormous plane and spread to nearby businesses, killing at least 12 people, including a child, and leaving little hope of finding survivors in the charred area of the crash at UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub.
The plane crashed about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
After being cleared for takeoff, a large fire developed in the left wing, said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.
The plane gained enough altitude to clear the fence at the end of the runway before crashing just outside Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, Inman told reporters.
Airport security video “shows the left engine detaching from the wing during the takeoff roll,” he said.
The cockpit voice recorder and data recorder were recovered, and the engine was discovered on the airfield, Inman said.
“There are a lot of different parts of this airplane in a lot of different places,” he said, describing a debris field that stretched for half a mile.
The death toll had risen to at least 11 on Wednesday afternoon, and four of those killed were not on the plane, officials said. A shelter-in-place order was in effect for a quarter-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. There are also 16 people missing.
“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. Thirteen people have been discharged from the University of Louisville hospital.
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.