7 dead, 11 injured after UPS plane crashed shortly after taking off from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport.
Louisville is shaken to its core early after a UPS plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Muhammad Ali International Airport, leaving seven people dead and eleven others injured. What began as a normal workday turned into a nightmare that will forever leave a mark on the city’s heart.
Four people on the ground were killed and the three people who were onboard the flight are presumed dead, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said. The numbers were expected to grow as emergency crews combed the scene for additional victims through the night, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear warned.
Looking at this MD-11 UPS crash , this is some of the most terrifying and sad footages i have seen for a crash especially for a heavy jet , correct me if I’m wrong i believe last time we saw a video recording of a plane crashing right after takeoff with substantial fire on engine… pic.twitter.com/tmyG3Al5YN
— ahmed baokbah 🇸🇦 🏎️🛩️ (@ahmed_baokbah) November 5, 2025
UPS Flight 2976, which was carrying three crew members and 50,000 gallons of jet fuel, exploded around 5:15 p.m. just 13 minutes after taking off, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and FlightAware data.
This is terrible and they are a lot of pertinent questions to be answered. What really went wrong?
The aircraft, bound for Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, crashed into a petroleum recycling plant roughly three miles south of the airfield and the resulting fire was still raging hours later as over 100 firefighters and emergency personnel swarmed the scene, officials said.
Louisville Fire Chief Brian O’Neill had to this say about the unfortunate incident.
“We have watched this terrible video, we have watched these horrible incidents, just remember, please, those are real people that that impacted, let’s take a moment to think about them and their families and their loved ones.”
WATCH: Dash cam video shows UPS plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky pic.twitter.com/dZdpus1fxu
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) November 5, 2025
The Louisville mayor also had this to say about the fatal crash.
“Having a tragedy like this in your backyard impacts all of us greatly,” Greenberg said. “I know the feeling that I first got when I saw the plume of smoke, and when I’d heard what had happened, and how my heart dropped. I know that everyone in Louisville had that same exact feeling. Tonight, we simply ask for prayers and support for those who have been directly impacted by it and their families.”
And then Councilwoman Betsy Ruhe while reacting to the news during a press conference said Louisville is truly a “UPS town.”
“My cousin’s a UPS pilot. My aide’s tennis partner is a UPS pilot. The intern in my office works overnight at UPS to pay for college. We all know somebody who works at UPS and they’re texting their friends, their family, trying to make sure everybody’s safe. Sadly, some of those texts are probably going to go unanswered. My heart goes out to those families and those friends.”
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the crash. For now, officials are focusing on supporting families and ensuring the injured receive the care they need.
Rest in peace to the lost souls!
