A UPS Airlines MD-11F freighter (Flight 2976, registration N259UP) crashed moments after departing Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport at 5:15 PM ET.
Bound for Honolulu with a heavy trans-Pacific fuel load exceeding 25,000 gallons, the aircraft reached only 175 feet before nosediving into an industrial zone near Fern Valley Road and Grade Lane.
Engine debris scattered on the runway suggests mid-air mechanical failure.
The impact triggered massive explosions, igniting fires across buildings and a parking lot at UPS’s Worldport hub.
Thick black smoke prompted a 5-mile shelter-in-place order.
Multiple injuries are confirmed among ground crews and responders; the two-person flight crew’s status remains unknown.
Louisville Fire Department contained the blaze, while FAA and NTSB investigators probe the cause.
Airport operations are suspended.
