At least three people are believed to have been killed after a UPS plane crashed shortly after takeoff near the Louisville International Airport, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday night.
The number of fatalities is expected to increase, the governor said during a news conference. At least 11 injuries, some of which are significant, have been reported, he said.
The Louisville Metro Police Department described the scene as active with “fire and debris,” warning residents to stay away from Fern Valley and Grade Lane, an intersection located on the south side of the airport, which serves as the hub of UPS.
A shelter-in-place has been extended for all areas northbound of the interstate highway that loops around the Louisville metropolitan area to the Ohio River, police said.
UPS said in a statement that it was notified of an incident involving one of its aircraft. Three UPS crewmembers were on board, the company said. It didn’t immediately provide more details.
WLKY-TV
As first responders and emergency crews work to control the massive fire, all arriving and departing flights at the Louisville airport are temporarily suspended, and the airport is closed until at least 7 a.m. Wednesday, the airport said.
UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time after it departed from the Louisville airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft was headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii.
According to preliminary flight data from FlightRadar24, the plane appeared to hit 175 feet in altitude briefly after takeoff. It would have been full of fuel for the flight to Hawaii, which likely led to the significant fire as seen from CBS affiliate WLKY-TV‘s chopper.
WLKY-TV also reported that the three-engine McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft was carrying approximately 280,000 pounds of fuel, according to Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. He said it was an “extreme reason for concern in so many different ways.”
The aircraft was manufactured in 1991, according to FAA data.
Jon Cherry / AP
WLKY-TV
The crash is where UPS Worldport, an international air hub for the parcel service, is located.
The 5.2 million-square-foot facility processes more than 400,000 packages an hour and is home to 20,000 UPS workers and 300 daily flights, according to the company.
“My team and I are closely monitoring the plane crash near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport,” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said. “We continue to pray for the safety of the aircrew, everyone in the area, and for the first-responders on the scene.”
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the crash.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Kris Van Cleave
contributed to this report.
