At least 11 people are dead, including a child, after a UPS cargo plane crashed during takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky. The jet had just left the runway at UPS Worldport, Louisville’s main hub, heading for Honolulu around 5:15 p.m., when it erupted into a massive fireball.
Just seconds earlier, video shows the plane struggling to lift off. Flames are seen trailing from its left wing before slamming into a nearby petroleum recycling facility.
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The impact triggered a chain of secondary explosions, sending a plume of black smoke into the sky. All three crew members on board were killed, along with four people on the ground.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear warned the death toll could rise, calling some of the injuries “very significant.”
Firefighters worked into the night to contain the fire, a daunting task with more than 38,000 gallons of fuel on board.
The National Transportation Safety Board is now leading the investigation into the cause of the crash.
Response from UPS
UPS issued a statement on Tuesday following the crash. It read in part, “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.”
We will release more facts as they become available at https://t.co/8Y3csuvvgZ pic.twitter.com/qfbiACQ3vY
— UPS (@UPS) November 5, 2025
UPS has halted operations at its Louisville hub, the company’s largest in the world, which sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.
No word has been received yet on when it will reopen.
