Newly released footage captures the frightening moment when a UPS plane’s wing caught fire just before the aircraft crashed and exploded in a massive fireball. The UPS plane, loaded with 38,000 gallons of fuel, erupted into flames shortly after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky yesterday at 5:15 pm local time. The tragic incident claimed the lives of nine individuals, including four who were not aboard the plane, with an additional 11 people sustaining injuries, two of whom are in critical condition, according to authorities.
In a dramatic video taken during takeoff, the left wing of the plane can be seen emitting smoke as it struggles to ascend before crashing moments later, engulfing the area in flames upon impact. Pablo Rojas, an aviation attorney, analyzed the footage, suggesting that the aircraft faced difficulties gaining altitude with a fire burning on its left side near one of its engines. Due to the substantial fuel load, an explosion or rapid fire escalation was inevitable once the fire ignited in that region.
Mary Schiavo, a former Department of Transportation inspector general, observed that the engine seemed to detach from the aircraft before the final crash and subsequent fireball. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the crash involving a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F aircraft.
Following the crash, a fuel recycling company adjacent to the airport suffered a direct impact from the plane, while a car parts business was also struck by the wreckage. Firefighters battled the extensive blaze throughout the night over a large area, establishing a systematic search grid for potential victims. The airport remained closed early on Wednesday and is expected to remain shut for several hours.
Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey highlighted uncertainties regarding the duration required to secure the crash site. Fire chief Brian O’Neill confirmed that the plane triggered secondary explosions upon hitting fuel tanks at the recycling center, including propane and oil storage tanks that ruptured, leading to small subsequent blasts.
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