Tragedy Strikes at Louisville Airport: UPS Cargo Plane Explodes in Fiery Crash, Claiming Lives of Nine
A devastating plane crash and explosion at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport has left a trail of death and destruction in its wake. At least nine people lost their lives in the catastrophic incident, while 11 others were seriously injured, some with very significant injuries.
The UPS cargo plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 manufactured in 1991, crashed while taking off for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville Airport on Tuesday evening. The aircraft reportedly struggled to gain altitude as flames engulfed its left wing and engine, before crashing and exploding into a massive fireball. Witnesses described the scene as "violence" and "like a war zone."
The Kentucky Governor, Andy Beshear, confirmed that the death toll had risen to at least nine, with four of those fatalities not even on the plane. The governor also stated that he expects the death toll to increase.
Eleven people were injured, some with severe burns or other life-threatening injuries. Louisville Metro Council member Betsy Ruhe expressed her condolences, saying, "We all know somebody who works at UPS... They're all texting their friends and family, trying to make sure everyone is safe." Sadly, some of those texts will likely go unanswered.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has taken charge of the investigation into the crash. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg stated that it would take time to render the scene safe, saying "We don't know how long it's going to take."
Aviation attorney Pablo Rojas pointed out that the plane's large amount of fuel made it almost like a bomb in flight, given the rapid spread of fire once ignited. The governor revealed that a nearby business and auto parts operation were also affected by the explosion.
The crash has left many locals reeling, with some describing the scene as "unbelievable" and "massive." A video taken by Leirim Rodríguez showed massive balls of flames exploding into the sky before billowing clouds of black smoke.
As the investigation unfolds, one thing is clear: this tragic incident will have far-reaching consequences for the community. The airport has been shut down until further notice, with many lives forever changed by the devastating crash.
A devastating plane crash and explosion at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport has left a trail of death and destruction in its wake. At least nine people lost their lives in the catastrophic incident, while 11 others were seriously injured, some with very significant injuries.
The UPS cargo plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 manufactured in 1991, crashed while taking off for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville Airport on Tuesday evening. The aircraft reportedly struggled to gain altitude as flames engulfed its left wing and engine, before crashing and exploding into a massive fireball. Witnesses described the scene as "violence" and "like a war zone."
The Kentucky Governor, Andy Beshear, confirmed that the death toll had risen to at least nine, with four of those fatalities not even on the plane. The governor also stated that he expects the death toll to increase.
Eleven people were injured, some with severe burns or other life-threatening injuries. Louisville Metro Council member Betsy Ruhe expressed her condolences, saying, "We all know somebody who works at UPS... They're all texting their friends and family, trying to make sure everyone is safe." Sadly, some of those texts will likely go unanswered.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has taken charge of the investigation into the crash. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg stated that it would take time to render the scene safe, saying "We don't know how long it's going to take."
Aviation attorney Pablo Rojas pointed out that the plane's large amount of fuel made it almost like a bomb in flight, given the rapid spread of fire once ignited. The governor revealed that a nearby business and auto parts operation were also affected by the explosion.
The crash has left many locals reeling, with some describing the scene as "unbelievable" and "massive." A video taken by Leirim Rodríguez showed massive balls of flames exploding into the sky before billowing clouds of black smoke.
As the investigation unfolds, one thing is clear: this tragic incident will have far-reaching consequences for the community. The airport has been shut down until further notice, with many lives forever changed by the devastating crash.
This is just terrible news. I remember when planes didn't even have autopilot, can you believe it? 
And now we're dealing with cargo planes that can be like bombs in the air... it's just crazy. I hope they find out what happened and get to the bottom of it soon. RIP to those who lost their lives 
. 11 people injured, some seriously bad burns... how are we going to recover from this? 
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a plane crashes and explodes like a scene from a disaster movie, what's next? 
9 dead, 11 injured... who needs that kind of drama at an airport?! 
can't believe what just happened at the Louisville airport... 9 people lost their lives? that's insane 
and now a whole business is ruined cuz of the explosion 
what kinda safety measures are we talking about here? I mean, a plane with all that fuel just exploding into a fireball? it's crazy! 
. It's crazy how fuel can spread fire so fast in a plane, hope they figure out what went wrong soon 
. The airport is closed till when? so many lives have been affected already 
They're saying it was like a war zone too... yeah, because flying is not already terrifying enough 
. Anyway, condolences to everyone affected 
and I hope the NTSB finds out what really happened (and hopefully it wasn't just a case of "fuel-gate" 
just sad that 9 ppl lost their lives & 11 others hurt bad... hope they recover fast 
airport's gotta do more to prevent these kinds of things from happening again 
. Nine people lost their lives and 11 others seriously injured? That's just too much 
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. And yeah, it's gonna be a tough road ahead for everyone in Louisville - the airport is shut down, and life will never be the same 
it's not like the plane was being flown by some crazy person or anything... it's a UPS cargo plane, for crying out loud! 
the fact that 4 people didn't even get on the plane and still died is just insane 
i'm not saying the NTSB should be slow to investigate or anything, but like, can we not just assume this was some kind of plane malfunction? 
. You'd think with all the safety measures in place, something like this wouldn't happen again... but life is full of surprises, right? 
. But in the meantime, we can only hope that everyone affected by this tragedy gets the help they need 
& what's w/ the plane being a cargo plane?? shouldn't it be safer 
or wasnt there some warning signs??
. And now people are stuck without transportation because of it... great 
.