(LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY) At least nine people are dead after UPS Airlines Flight 2976, an MD-11F cargo jet, crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday evening, officials said. The confirmed dead include all three crew members, with additional fatalities on the ground. Eleven people were injured, two in critical condition, city leaders said late Tuesday and into Wednesday, as search teams and investigators worked through burned wreckage spanning several industrial lots near the runway.
Crash sequence and immediate observations
The jet departed from the airport’s main cargo runway, 17R, at about 5:13 p.m. local time and climbed only to around 175 feet before the incident.
- Witness videos and early data showed the aircraft veering sharply left as the left engine burned.
- The MD-11F struck the roof of a UPS Supply Chain warehouse, rolled, and plowed through a semi-truck parking area.
- The impact set off a fierce fire that swept across neighboring businesses, including a petroleum recycling facility and an auto scrap yard.
A number of bystanders and workers reported bursts of heat and low, heavy smoke that made breathing difficult. Several workers fled on foot as fire rolled over parked trucks and storage tanks.
Officials, fatalities, and missing persons
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said “at least nine people had been killed, with the plane’s three crew likely to be among the fatalities.” He added that sixteen families had reported loved ones missing as of Wednesday morning and urged patience as responders moved carefully through unstable debris.
- Ten people were transported to UofL Health.
- Two of those patients were in critical condition in the burn unit.
- Eight others were hospitalized but expected to survive.
Governor Andy Beshear called for community support: “The situation is serious. Please pray for the families affected. Tough day for Kentucky. We have always banded together. We will again.” He praised responders who ran toward thick smoke and repeated explosions as diesel and jet fuel burned, and asked residents to keep clear of the area while damage assessments continued.
“The manager saw the ball of fire coming towards him and he tackled our general manager and when they stood up there was literally fire and flames around them,” — Sean Garber, owner of a recycling business near the airport, describing a narrow escape.
Response by UPS and support resources
UPS issued a late evening statement: “We are terribly saddened by the accident tonight in Louisville. Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone involved. UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers.”
- The carrier set up a family hotline at 800-631-0604 for relatives seeking updates.
- UPS said it would support investigators as they worked to confirm the timeline and cause.
Firefighting and public safety actions
Firefighters from across Jefferson County and nearby districts converged within minutes.
- More than 100 firefighters battled flames into the night.
- Crews cut access lanes through twisted metal and protected nearby tanks and utility lines.
- City officials issued a shelter-in-place order for a five-mile radius, instructing people to:
- Stay indoors
- Turn off HVAC systems
- Avoid the smoke
By 10:30 p.m., crews had contained the largest fires and reduced the shelter order to a quarter-mile zone as air testing began.
Impact on airport, schools, and local businesses
The crash had immediate effects across the city and logistics networks:
- All flights in and out of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport were canceled.
- UPS halted operations at its massive Worldport hub (the company’s heart of night-time sorting).
- Jefferson County Public Schools closed for Wednesday as a precaution.
- Health teams planned air and water quality testing at nearby schools.
- The mayor’s office opened a reunification center at the police training academy for families trying to locate loved ones who work in the affected industrial area.
- Freight forwarders and local businesses dependent on overnight movement braced for delays.
UPS did not provide a restart time for Worldport but said teams were securing equipment, checking sort systems, and supporting employees. Pilots and mechanics gathered at a private area for a moment of silence.
Investigation status
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation with nearly two dozen specialists on site, including experts in:
- Powerplants
- Airframe structures
- Operations
- Human performance
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is assisting.
- Investigators said initial radio calls between the crew and air traffic control were heavily garbled and gave little detail about the emergency.
- The NTSB requested maintenance records and prepared to review the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, if recoverable.
- The NTSB urged patience while it collected wreckage and evidence.
- Official safety updates will be posted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The NTSB plans to release a preliminary report in the coming weeks, with a final report to follow after extensive testing and analysis.
Aircraft details and fuel load
Authorities identified the aircraft as a 34-year-old MD-11F, tail number N259UP.
- It was first delivered to Thai Airways in 1991 and converted for cargo service before joining UPS in 2006.
- Officials said the aircraft carried about 38,000 gallons of jet fuel but no hazardous cargo.
- The large fuel load, typical for a long-range cargo departure, fed a stubborn fire that complicated early rescue work and forced crews to rotate to avoid heat exhaustion.
Context and broader considerations
For UPS, the loss marks its deadliest crash, surpassing earlier accidents in 2010 and 2013, according to city officials and aviation records reviewed on Wednesday.
- VisaVerge.com reports that the broader cargo sector has faced issues with crew workload and automation limits on older widebody jets.
- Investigators have not connected those factors to Flight 2976 and caution against early conclusions.
Ongoing recovery and community impact
Workers across the airport corridor described alarms, power flickers, and a loud, low sweep before the impact. Some initially thought a fuel tank had exploded; others ran to the fence line and saw the tail section break away.
- Police closed roads to keep bystanders away while search teams moved through hot spots that kept reigniting.
- Hospitals prepared for a larger wave of burn and smoke patients that did not materialize, though the two people in critical condition remained a central concern.
- City leaders warned the death toll could change as crews completed grid searches of badly burned structures and vehicles.
- The coroner’s office began identification efforts, which can take time when fire damage is severe.
At the airport, crews inspected runway surfaces and lighting while the tower handled diversions. As the community waited for answers, Louisville paused—families checked on each other, workers took stock of what they had seen and lost, and investigators worked to explain why UPS Airlines Flight 2976 never made it beyond the airport’s edge.
This Article in a Nutshell
A UPS MD-11F cargo jet (Flight 2976, N259UP) crashed after takeoff from Louisville at about 5:13 p.m., climbing only to about 175 feet before veering left and striking a warehouse. The impact triggered large fires across multiple industrial lots. At least nine people, including the three crew members, died; 11 were injured and two are critical. Over 100 firefighters battled the blaze; the NTSB and FAA are investigating. UPS set up a family hotline and Worldport operations were halted.
