Federal investigators are working to determine what caused a UPS cargo plane to crash and erupt in a massive fireball Tuesday night in Louisville, killing at least nine people and leaving more than a dozen others unaccounted for.
Fiery UPS plane crash
Authorities said the UPS MD-11 cargo jet went down around 5:15 p.m. as it departed Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport’s UPS Worldport facility for Honolulu. Officials warned the death toll could rise.
Witness video showed flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke as it barreled down the runway. The National Transportation Safety Board said the aircraft’s left engine detached during the takeoff roll.
Officials said the plane was carrying more than 200,000 pounds of fuel for its long flight to Hawaii when it crashed into an industrial area just beyond the runway. Kentucky’s governor said three crew members were on board, and several others on the ground are believed to be among the victims.
UPS, based in the Atlanta area, said it was “saddened by the accident.”
The NTSB is leading the investigation and said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon that it is still too early to determine what caused the crash.
MD-11 plane crash investigation
Alan Armstrong, an Atlanta-based aviation attorney and pilot, said, based on video circulating online, “It’s almost bomb-like in its presentation.” He added, “Clearly, something was amiss. We don’t get catastrophic uncontained engine explosions at 150 feet every day of the week. That just doesn’t happen. It’s extremely rare.”
Kyle Bailey, a former FAA safety team representative, said, “Video might play a huge role in this investigation, as we have a lot of videos out there, and the most important is of that left wing and that left engine.”
Armstrong said the pilots likely did everything possible to control the situation.
“Those guys did everything they could. There’s nothing more they could have done,” he said. “They can’t extinguish an exploded engine in midair.”
