A giant cargo plane’s left wing caught fire and an engine fell off just before it crashed and exploded after take-off in the south-eastern US, as the death toll from the disaster jumped to 11 people, including a child.
Emergency workers, meanwhile, searched for more victims on Wednesday, (Thursday AEST), a day after the crash at UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub in Louisville, though Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said finding survivors seemed unlikely.
The inferno consumed the enormous UPS aircraft and spread to nearby businesses.
The death toll from the UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky has risen to nine, authorities say. (WLKY via CNN Newsource)A UPS Boeing 737 is seen parked while a plume of smoke from the nearby UPS cargo plane crash is seen at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry) (AP)
After being cleared for take-off, a large fire developed in the left wing, said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.
The plane gained enough altitude to clear the fence at the end of the runway before crashing just outside Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, Inman said.
Airport security video “shows the left engine detaching from the wing during the take-off roll,” he said.
The cockpit voice recorder and data recorder were recovered, and the engine was discovered on the airfield, Inman said.
“There are a lot of different parts of this airplane in a lot of different places,” he said, describing a debris field that stretched for about one kilometre.
National Transportation Safety Board official Todd Inman, during a press conference at the Louisville Regional Airport Authority in Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry) (AP)
Earlier, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear predicted the death toll would grow, noting that 16 families had gathered at a reunification centre for news of loved ones.
“Our fatality count is now up to 11, expected to reach 12, possibly by the end of the day, and there are a handful of other people that we’re still searching for, that we hope weren’t on site and that we hope were somewhere else,” Beshear said.
Among those killed, at least one person is believed to be a child, “and a young child at that, which makes it all the harder,” Beshear said.
The crash was captured in horrifying video taken from a truck parked about one kilometre from the impact site.
It showed the driver sitting calmly in the vehicle’s cab moments before he’s startled as the plane smashes into the ground.
A stunned truck driver watched the plane UPS cargo plane crash into the ground. (Supplied Nine)
The stunned man then jumps out and runs, shouting “oh, my God”.
The plane with three people aboard crashed about 5.15pm on Tuesday (US Eastern Standard Time) as it was departing for Honolulu from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Video showed flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke.
The crash had a ripple effect, striking and causing smaller explosions at Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and hitting Grade A Auto Parts, though it could have been worse, Beshear said.
“Thankfully, a local restaurant that is right there … was missed and now is helping the search and rescue,” Beshear said.
“Another blessing is this plane could have potentially hit the major Ford factory or the convention centre, those are all close by, and did not.”
Local residents described the crash site as resembling a war zone after the plane hit. (AP)
University of Louisville Hospital said two people were in critical condition in the burn unit Wednesday and that 13 others had been treated and discharged. Five people were treated at other hospitals.
Beshear declared a state of emergency and mobilised the National Guard in an effort to quickly free up resources.
