LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded in a massive fireball Tuesday while taking off from the company’s global aviation hub in Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least seven people and injuring 11, authorities said.
The plane crashed about 5:15 p.m. as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
Video showed flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke. The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball. Video also revealed portions of a building’s shredded roof next to the end of the runway.
Among the 11 who were hurt, some had “very significant” injuries, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said.
“Anybody who has seen the images, the video, knows how violent this crash is,” he said.
Beshear said he didn’t know the status of the three crew members aboard the plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 made in 1991.
UPS’s largest package handling facility is in Louisville. The hub employs thousands of workers, has 300 daily flights and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.
UPS acknowledged the crash in a brief statement and said the National Transportation Safety Board would handle the investigation.
The airport, meanwhile, was shut down and wasn’t expected to resume operations until Wednesday morning.
