UPS Cargo Plane Crashes after Takeoff from Louisville, KY, Airport, Sparks Major Fire

UPS officials said three crew were on the cargo plane that crashed moments after it took off from Louisville's airport.

Nov. 5, 2025

2 min read

Karla Ward
Lexington Herald-Leader
(TNS)

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Injuries were reported after a plane crashed in Louisville Tuesday afternoon, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department.

UPS said one of its planes, carrying three crew members, was involved.

“UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 4, after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a social media post. “The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 was headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. The FAA and NTSB will investigate.”

The plane reached an altitude of 175 feet and then rapidly descended, the New York Times reported, citing data from Flightradar 24.

Allison Martin, a spokeswoman for Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, told the Times the cargo plane had 28,000 gallons of fuel on board.

The Louisville police department said it and “multiple other agencies” responded to the scene near Fern Valley and Grade Lane.

“This is an active scene with fire and debris. Stay away,” the police department said in a post on social media.

People within five miles of the airport initially were advised to shelter in place via a LENS Alert that went out on cell phones, but an update later clarified that the shelter place extended north from the airport to the Ohio River.

“Avoid smoke from the incident,” the new alert stated.

A huge plume of smoke could be seen on traffic cameras in the area of the Louisville International Airport in Jefferson County.

The police department said Grade Lane will be closed indefinitely between Stooges and Crittenden.

In a post on the social media platform X, Gov. Andy Beshear said he was on his way to Louisville and asked people to “please pray for the pilots, crew and everyone affected. We will share more soon.”

“The situation is serious,” he said.

Greenberg told WAVE television he was out of the city but was on his way back to town Tuesday evening.

All flights in and out of the airport were temporarily suspended and the airfield was closed Tuesday evening, the airport said in a social media post.

“Passengers should closely monitor their flight status via their airline’s website or mobile app,” the FlyLouisville account on the social media platform X stated.

The crash caused traffic snarls around the city Tuesday evening.

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