The death toll from Tuesday’s crash of a UPS cargo plane in Louisville, Kentucky, has risen to nine, city and state officials confirmed Wednesday. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft erupted into flames shortly after takeoff at approximately 5:13 p.m. ET, crashing near the Louisville International Airport.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators are on site to determine what caused the 34-year-old aircraft to catch fire and break apart moments after departure. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said nine bodies had been recovered, while Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear warned that additional fatalities were possible. Eleven other individuals were hospitalized following the crash.
The airport reopened to air traffic early Wednesday, though the affected runway will remain closed for at least 10 days. UPS, which halted package-sorting operations after the incident, has not confirmed whether those activities have resumed.
Officials said the triple-engine plane was fully fueled for its 8.5-hour flight to Honolulu and carried a crew of three, all of whom perished. The crash marks UPS’s first fatal air accident since 2013, when a cargo plane went down during approach in Birmingham, Alabama, killing both pilots.
Fires spread through multiple industrial buildings beyond the runway, sending thick black smoke into the evening sky. Investigators are focusing on reports that one of the plane’s engines may have separated before impact, a potential clue seen in video footage of debris scattered across the airfield.
