At Least 7 Dead, More Injured in UPS Crash at Louisville Airport

Louisville, KY (WorkersCompensation.com) – All three crew members of a UPS plane that crashed in Louisville are believed to be dead, officials said Tuesday night.

Officials said Tuesday night that a total of seven people were reported dead in the crash, and more could be identified. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a UPS plane carrying three crew members crashed as it was taking off from the Louisville Muhammed Ali International Airport on Tuesday. The plane also crashed into several businesses in the area.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the number of dead is expected to rise.

“The news out of Louisville is tough tonight as the death toll has now reached at least 7, with that number expected to rise,” the governor said on X. “First responders are onsite and working hard to extinguish the fire and continue the investigation.”

The accident happened around 5:15 p.m. Officials said there were at least another 11 people injured, some of them with “very significant” injuries. Beshear said two businesses were also damaged in the crash - Kentucky Petroleum Recycling Plant and Grade A Auto Parts.

“We are seeking more information, but it looks like they were hit pretty directly,” Beshear said of the recycling plant. According to Grade A Auto Parts, all but two of the company’s employees were accounted for.

UPS said its Flight 2976 had three crew members on board when “an accident” occurred. Data from Flightradar24 indicated the cargo plane was bound for Honolulu, Hawaii, and that the plane only reached an altitude of 175 feet before plummeting to the ground. Video of the incident posted to social media, shows flames coming out of the front of the plane as it moves down the runway trying to take off. As the plane nears the end of the runway, the plane explodes before it can get airborne sending a plume of black smoke and burning debris into the air.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg tweeted out that every emergency crew in the city was responding to the incident.

“There are more than a 100 firefighters from across the region still on the scene working to make it safe for everyone in our community,” Greenberg said.

As all flights out of the airport were suspended Tuesday night, Louisville residents north and east of the city were told to shelter in place and to close their doors and windows. The area around the incident is largely industrial and Beshear said no hazardous materials were ignited by the crash, but drifting smoke was creating a breathing hazard leading to the shelter-in-place order.

“There are multiple injuries and a significant fire with many roads closed and air alerts issued because of the smoke,” Allison Martin, a spokeswoman for Mayor Craig Greenberg of Louisville, said.

Betsy Ruhe, the city councilwoman who represents the area, said UPS is an economic driver of the city, and residents were searching to confirm if their loved ones were okay.

“This strongly affects my district, and it is a tragedy,” Ruhe told the New York Times. “There are a lot of UPS employees around here, and our big concern right now is that our friends and family members are safe.”

The crash also caused Jefferson County Public Schools to cancel classes on Wednesday. JCPS, the largest school district in the state with 97,000 students and more than 18,000 employees, said the district would “operate like a snow day with no online instruction.” All schools and buildings will be closed, and all extracurricular activities and athletics will be canceled, the statement said. The district told employees about the school day cancellation, citing the “necessary shelter-in-place order.”

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that they would be investigating the crash.

“NTSB is launching a go-team to investigate Tuesday’s crash of a UPS MD-11 cargo aircraft, Flight 2976 near Louisville, Kentucky,” the NTSB tweeted around 8:47 p.m. “NTSB Board Member Todd Inman will serve as the on-scene spokesperson. The investigative team is scheduled to arrive in Kentucky tomorrow.”

The agency said it would hold a media briefing on Wednesday.

UPS said it was working with the NTSB. UPS also said it had halted operations at the Louisville facility and sent employees home early.

"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 company said in a statement. "We are engaged with the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the accident and are staying in close contact with the Federal Aviation Administration. We will work tirelessly with state and local authorities on response efforts.

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