NEED TO KNOW
- A freight plane for UPS crashed shortly after it took off at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday, Nov. 4
- The crash caused a fire, which created a massive cloud of black smoke
- UPS shared in a statement that three crew members were on board at the time of the crash
A UPS MD-11 plane crashed near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Ky., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, sparking a fire and a shelter-in-place alert.
UPS Flight 2976 was en route to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. Shortly after it took off at around 5 p.m. local time, the aircraft crashed, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department’s X post.
After the plane crashed, a fire erupted, sending a massive cloud of black smoke into the surrounding area. “This is an active scene with fire and debris. Stay away,” the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) wrote.
Following the crash, local authorities issued a shelter-in-place for all locations within 5 miles of the airport. “Please remain away from the area until further notice,” the LMPD advised.
There were three UPS crew members on board the plane at the time of the crash, according to a statement posted to UPS’s website. The crew members have not yet been publicly identified.
“At this time, we have not confirmed any injuries/casualties,” the statement reads. “UPS will release more facts as they become available, but the National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the investigation and will be the primary source of information about the official investigation.”
The FAA confirmed on Tuesday that the NTSB will lead the investigation into the crash.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear addressed the crash on X, writing, “The situation is serious. Please pray for the families affected. I’m headed to Louisville now.”
Sen. Rand Paul also issued a statement about the plane crash, writing on X, “We continue to pray for the safety of the aircrew, everyone in the area, and for the first-responders on the scene.”
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11F is a freighter aircraft, intended to carry cargo instead of passengers. It is common for UPS freighter planes to depart from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, as it is UPS’s worldwide air hub. The hub has 12,000 UPS employees who process more than 2 million packages a day at a 5-million-square-foot facility.
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PEOPLE reached out to the Louisville Metro Police Department and the National Transportation Safety Board for more information on Tuesday.
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