Editor’s note: Follow the latest updates on the Kentucky UPS plane crash in USA TODAY’s coverage for Thursday, Nov. 6.
LOUISVILLE, KY – Federal safety investigators have recovered black boxes from the wreckage of a United Parcel Service cargo plane that crashed and exploded after takeoff from the airport in Louisville, killing at least 12 people, officials said Wednesday.
“I’m deeply saddened to share that the death toll has risen to 12, with several individuals still unaccounted for,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a statement on social media Wednesday night. “No one should face tragedy alone. Please take a moment to hug your loved ones and check on your neighbors.”
In a live interview with WHAS-TV, Greenberg said he believes three of the victims are likely crew members and the nine other victims have not yet been identified. Earlier on Wednesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the death toll in the catastrophic plane crash had climbed to at least 11, including one child.
The governor said at a news conference that authorities do not expect to find any more victims alive as they turned from rescue to recovery operations.
The UPS plane was departing for Honolulu from the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport when it crashed at about 5:15 p.m. local time Tuesday, authorities said. Video of the crash showed flames on one of the plane’s wings and a huge fireball erupting as the aircraft hit the ground.
“What we just saw … was like a scene out of a ‘Terminator’ movie. It is burned and mangled wreckage beyond anything I have ever seen,” said Kentucky Rep. Morgan McGarvey.
McGarvey and Beshear described an “apocalyptic” scene at the site of the crash, and recounted the falling debris and blackened sky over Louisville on Tuesday night after the crash.
“I’ve walked the line of an F4 tornado through my Dad’s hometown. I’ve seen towns hit by flooding we’d only describe as biblical. What this scene is is violent,” Beshear said. “Where the initial explosion happened, you have significant damage. And then, like a lot of these disasters, just five or six feet away, not even the paint disturbed on another vehicle.”
The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately clear, and 28 members from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Louisville on Wednesday morning to investigate alongside the Federal Aviation Administration. The FBI is also assisting in the NTSB investigation by cataloging and removing debris.
NTSB: An engine fell off the plane before deadly crash
During a news conference on Wednesday, NTSB member Todd Inman described the moments before the crash. The 34-year-old MD-11 freighter was carrying three crew members aboard when it crashed just after clearing a fence at the end of the runway during takeoff on Tuesday evening.
A large plume of fire was spotted on the plane’s left wing after it was cleared for takeoff, and one of its three engines detached from that wing as the aircraft rolled down the runway, Inman said.
The plane lifted off but shortly after hit nearby structures and erupted into flames. Flames from the crash sparked a string of fires a half-mile wide in the industrial zone adjacent to the airport, which is home to UPS Worldport, an international air hub serving more than 300 daily inbound and outbound flights, and processes about two million packages each day.
Inman said investigators recovered the plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, which were built to withstand crash impacts and intense heat from fires. He said they appeared to be intact when located on Wednesday amid the crash debris, adding that investigators should be able to retrieve data from the system within days.
“We feel comfortable that once we get these to our lab in (Washington) D.C. that we will be able to get a good readout of the applicable data, and that will be yet another point of information that will really help us understand what happened,” Inman said.
See video: Smoke, flames from UPS plane crash moments after takeoff
Search for victims could stretch on, officials say
Authorities believe three crew members aboard the plane were killed in the crash. Greenberg said Tuesday that four fatalities were confirmed on the ground, and several other people who were injured had been taken to local hospitals.
Five others were found deceased by first responders at the scene, Greenberg and Beshear said Wednesday.
The child killed in the crash is believed to have been making an errand with family at Grade A Auto Parts, one of the businesses hit by the plane, according to Beshear. Due to the extent of the damage, he said the coroners may have difficulty identifying the bodies.
The search for additional potential victims could stretch on for days, with a large field of wreckage and some debris that will need to be moved and checked under, said Okolona Fire Chief Mark Little.
Greenberg said there are more people than the confirmed number of victims who have families looking for information about them. Victims have not all been identified, he said.
UPS CEO: ‘United, we are strong’
In a statement to UPS employees on Wednesday, CEO Carol Tomé said the company was “deeply saddened” by the tragic accident and “our hearts continue to be with all who have been impacted.”
“We will keep them in our hearts as we continue our commitment to safety, care and community,” Tomé said. “We are not alone in this moment, and from the notes l’ve received from around the world, I know that solidarity and empathy are powerful forces in healing. United, we are strong.”
UPS said it was continuing to work with the NTSB and local authorities in the investigation. The crash and ensuing fires disrupted airport-based operations at the UPS Worldport facility, the company’s global cargo hub for its air shipments worldwide, slowing delivery services.
Independent Pilots Association President Captain Bob Travis told Reuters that the three pilots in the plane were all on duty. The union, which represents about 3,300 UPS pilots, said in an interview that they are a party to the investigation led by the NTSB.
Stooges Bar & Grill ‘sitting in a war zone’
At least two businesses were directly hit by the plane’s flame and debris, including a petroleum recycling facility that was set ablaze and exploded. Beshear said a nearby convention center, restaurant, and Ford Assembly Plant escaped the blaze.
As soon as Debbie Self got the phone calls about the crash near Stooges Bar & Grill, the bar she’s owned for over 40 years, she left a cousin’s birthday dinner and drove toward the billowing dark clouds in the sky. From about 3 miles away, she noticed the stench of smoke before she got a good look up.
While she couldn’t get close to the building, which was among the closest businesses to the crash site, she heard on Tuesday evening from a bartender that everyone at Stooges had evacuated safely. As of Wednesday morning, Stooges is still intact, though Self doesn’t know the extent of any damage to the building.
“It looks like Stooges is sitting in a war zone,” she told the Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. “That’s what it looks like to me.”
— Amanda Hancock, Courier Journal
‘Go home and hug your kids’
Beshear, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, and McGarvey stressed the immensity of the tragedy for the Louisville area during a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“Go home and hug your kids. Go home and hug your loved ones tonight. Go hug your neighbors,” McGarvey said. “This hurts.”
Beshear thanked first responders and federal agencies for their help responding to the crash. “We’re getting everything we need from the federal government,” he said. “No D, No R, just all of us showing up, doing the best we can for our people.”
What caused the Louisville plane crash?
There’s no definitive answer yet on the cause of the crash, but early photos and videos may offer clues about what went wrong.
Investigations into air disasters take extensive time and research. The National Transportation Safety Board usually publishes early findings within a few days, but the full investigation can take 12 to 24 months.
Early photos and videos of the crash may offer clues about what went wrong. Video footage appeared to show the plane taking off with fire on one wing, and a huge fireball erupted as it hit the ground. Several buildings in an industrial area beyond the runway were on fire after the crash, with thick black smoke rising into the sky.
− Nathan Diller and Joel Shannon
Did the government shutdown play a role in the incident?
NTSB member Todd Inman said he was not aware of staffing shortages caused by the ongoing government shutdown at the Louisville airport. Inman said the air traffic control tower was “at its proper complement.”
Air traffic controllers are considered essential government employees and have continued working without pay since the federal government shutdown began Oct. 1.
He also said the NTSB investigation into the crash would not be affected by the shutdown. The agency, he said, had enough staff “and then some” to continue its work in Louisville.
Crashed UPS jet was an MD-11, no longer flown as passenger plane
The UPS plane sent into an inferno was an MD-11 aircraft. McDonnell Douglas built only 200 aircraft between 1998-2000 before discontinuing the MD-11, according to simpleflying.com.
It has three engines — one mounted under each wing and one mounted under its tail. It is the only plane in the UPS fleet to have a tail engine; all other UPS aircraft have two engines, except the Boeing 747-8F, which has four engines all mounted underwing.
The jet, which was first launched in 1990 as a passenger plane, hasn’t carried a passenger flight since 2014 due to failure to meet range and fuel efficiency expectations. It remains active as a cargo plane for companies like UPS and FedEx. Read more here.
– Doyle Rice, Olivia Evans, and Matthew Glowicki
This handout satellite image, taken and released by Vantor on Nov. 5, 2025, shows a close-up view of the debris path after a United Parcel Service cargo plane crashed near the Louisville International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, shortly after takeoff.
Beshear declares state of emergency
The Kentucky governor announced he was declaring a state of emergency on Wednesday in response to the plane crash. The declaration will allow the state to mobilize resources more quickly through the state’s Emergency Management department and the Kentucky National Guard, among other agencies, he said.
Beshear also opened an emergency relief fund to help those affected by the plane crash. Money donated to the Team Kentucky Emergency Relief Fund will help with response, recovery, and rebuilding, the governor explained.
“With something like this plane crash, you just see the worst of the worst, almost the unimaginable, but immediately after, we always see the best of the best,” Beshear said.
Sen. Mitch McConnell calls crash a ‘gut punch’
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, took to the Senate floor Wednesday to offer condolences to victims of the crash and the people of Louisville. He explained that the crash was a “gut punch” to the city, as UPS Worldport is the largest of the company’s five domestic hubs.
“During the day, Louisville International hums with thousands of passengers from across the country. But around the clock, Louisville is also a hub for global shipping and logistics. Business supplies, consumer goods, Christmas gifts… if it’s going somewhere in short order, there’s a good chance it’s passing through UPS Worldport in Louisville,” McConnell said.
McConnell said he spoke with Greenberg earlier in the day and will continue to keep in contact with local officials and investigating agencies.
“But first and foremost, I’m keeping my fellow Kentuckians in my prayers, and I’d ask our colleagues to do the same,” he said.
– Lillian Metzmeier
What caused the UPS plane crash? What we know and don’t know.
2 still in critical condition after Kentucky plane crash injuries
Two people remain in critical condition at University of Louisville Health, hospital officials and Beshear said on Wednesday.
“We’re praying for them and for their recovery,” Beshear told CNN.
The hospital system said it treated 15 patients total across several medical centers, and 13 have been discharged.
Doctors treated patients who were hurt by shrapnel from the plane’s explosion, and those with burns ranging in severity from “very severe to minor,” University of Louisville Smith said during a media briefing. He said the patients who remain in critical condition “are very sick.”
Is the Louisville airport open?
The Louisville airport is “expected to be available for passenger and cargo operations” on Wednesday, spokesperson Natalie Chaudoin said in a statement.
Delays and cancellations are still likely, and travelers who are scheduled to depart from or arrive at the airport should monitor their flight status, she said.
According to FlyLouisville’s website, some flights departing from SDF are delayed, with flights from the evening of Nov. 4 now scheduled throughout the morning. Over 10 flights scheduled to depart from SDF have been canceled. No flights arriving at SDF have been canceled.
By 9 p.m. ET Wednesday, the airport said runway 17L/35R, or the east runway, had reopened. “With the addition of the East Runway, this means two of SDF’s three runways are available for aircraft operations,” the airport said in an update.
The airfield was closed Tuesday night, the airport previously said. Runway 1129 was open and all departing flights were canceled for the night, Jonathan Biven, a public safety officer for the Louisville airport, said Tuesday.
Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UPS plane crash updates: 12 dead, black box found in Louisville
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