Engine fell off cargo plane before deadly crash
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This handout photo courtesy of Levi Dean shows smoke and flames rising from the site of a UPS cargo plane crash outside Louisville International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 4, 2025. The death toll from a UPS cargo plane crashing in Louisville has risen to nine with more fatalities feared, Kentucky’s governor said November 5, as search efforts continued and the airport resumed flights.
Photo by HANDOUT / Courtesy of X account @LeviDean98 / AFP
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The death toll from a cargo plane crash in the southern US state of Kentucky rose to 12 on Wednesday, with investigators saying the accident was caused by one of the engines catching fire and detaching during takeoff.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11, operated by package delivery giant UPS and bound for Hawaii, crashed at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, shortly after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
It exploded into flames as it plowed into businesses adjacent to the airport, killing multiple people on the ground. A three-person crew was aboard.
“I’m deeply saddened to share that the death toll has risen to 12, with several individuals still unaccounted for,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said on X.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called the tragedy “heartbreaking” and “unimaginable.”
The National Transportation Safety Board sent teams to Louisville to investigate the accident. NTSB member Todd Inman told reporters that investigators had reviewed closed-circuit airport footage “which shows the left engine detaching from the wing during the take-off roll.”
