At least 3 dead, 11 injured after UPS plane crashes in Louisville
Update (5:45 PM): Officials say that at least three people died and 11 were injured in the UPS plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky. The governor says the plane hit two businesses.
By Pete Muntean, Amanda Musa, Emma Tucker, Amanda Jackson, Alexandra Skores, Aaron Cooper, CNN
(CNN) — We’ve moved to Live Updates for coverage of this developing story. Follow the latest here.
A UPS MD-11 plane crashed shortly after take-off near the Louisville, Kentucky, airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
UPS Flight 2976 crashed just after 5 p.m. local time and was headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, according to a statement from the FAA, which is investigating the crash along with the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB will lead the investigation, the FAA said Tuesday.
Three crewmembers were on the plane, according to a statement from UPS that said in part, “At this time, we have not confirmed any injuries/casualties.”
Louisville Metro Police Department and other agencies are responding to the crash, LMPD said in an X post. Injuries have been reported, police said.
A massive plume of black smoke is rising not far from the tarmac at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, videos from CNN affiliate WAVE show.
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is the worldwide air hub for UPS. The company’s Worldport is more than 5 million square feet where more than 12,000 UPS employees process more than two million packages a day, according to the company.
A shelter-in-place has been issued for all locations within 5 miles of the airport, police added.
“LMPD and multiple other agencies are responding to reports of a plan crash near Fern Valley and Grade Lane,” the post said. “Grade lane will be closed indefinitely between Stooges and Crittenden.”
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11F is a freight transport aircraft manufactured originally by McDonnell Douglas and later by Boeing. The aircraft is primarily flown by FedEx Express, Lufthansa Cargo and UPS Airlines for cargo.
The plane also served as a popular wide-bodied passenger airplane after it was first flown in 1990. The aircraft involved in Tuesday’s crash was built in 1991.
As fuel costs increased for the three engine jets many of them were converted to freighters. The plane can take off weighing in at a maximum 633,000 pounds and carrying more than 38,000 gallons of fuel, according to Boeing, which bought McDonnell Douglass.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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