Engine Failure Blamed for Deadly UPS Cargo Plane Crash in Kentucky
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), airport surveillance footage captured the left engine detaching from the wing during takeoff. Despite the catastrophic failure, the engine itself was later found intact on the airfield
The death toll from a devastating cargo plane crash in Kentucky has risen to 12, with investigators confirming that the tragedy occurred after one of the aircraft’s engines caught fire and detached during takeoff
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11, operated by global courier giant UPS and bound for Hawaii, went down Tuesday evening shortly after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. It exploded into flames upon impact, destroying several nearby businesses and killing multiple people on the ground
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced the updated death toll on X, noting that several individuals remain unaccounted for. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear described the incident as “heartbreaking” and “unimaginable”
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), airport surveillance footage captured the left engine detaching from the wing during takeoff. Despite the catastrophic failure, the engine itself was later found intact on the airfield
Investigators have recovered the aircraft’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders, which will be analyzed in Washington, D.C. The crash, reportedly the deadliest in UPS’s history, prompted the company to halt operations at its Louisville Worldport hub, which serves as its main global sorting center
Officials said the plane was carrying 38,000 gallons of fuel for its long-haul flight to Hawaii. The aircraft narrowly missed a major Ford assembly plant before crashing into a nearby petroleum recycling facility, leaving a fiery debris trail nearly half a mile long
Footage shared by local media showed flames erupting from the left engine moments before the aircraft went down. By early Wednesday, one runway at the airport had reopened
Also read : AU Observers: Tanzania’s Elections Fell Short of Democratic Standards
The ill-fated plane was built in 1991 and later converted into a cargo aircraft. Boeing, which absorbed McDonnell Douglas in 1996, has pledged to assist the NTSB investigation
The crash occurred amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, raising concerns over air traffic control staffing. However, the NTSB said it had found no evidence of staffing shortages at Louisville Airport during the incident
In a separate tragedy earlier this year, a midair collision near Washington, D.C., ended a 16-year streak without a fatal U.S. commercial air crash heightening scrutiny of the country’s aging air traffic system
Writer : Mweru Mbugua
