Fire and smoke marker at the site where a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 4, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Stephen Cohen | Getty Images News | Getty Images
A UPS A cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky around 5:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
At least nine people were killed, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on Wednesday. “Right now these families need prayers, love and support,” he said. “Let us wrap our arms around them during this unimaginable time.”
In a news conference Wednesday, Beshear said he was “pretty confident” the death toll would rise by “at least one” and that he expected more details in the afternoon. He said six to seven people outside the crew were injured and the plane hit two of the “less populated” businesses in the area.
Gift also asked residents and businesses around the crash site not to drink water and declared a state of emergency for Kentucky.
“It allows us to move resources more quickly through emergency management and the Kentucky National Guard,” Beshear said. “It also allows for the use of state resources.”
In an earlier press conference on Tuesday, he also said that 11 people were injured in the incident, some seriously. He said at the time that he expected those numbers to increase.
UPS said in a statement that three crew members were on the plane. Beshear said the status of the crew is unknown. He added that an emergency area has been set up for families.
The reason for the crash was initially unknown. The aircraft was an MD-11F, a type of freighter manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, which merged with Boeing in 1997. The plane was carrying about 38,000 gallons of fuel to travel all the way to Honolulu, officials said.
The Louisville Metro Police Department placed a protective order near the crash site on Tuesday. Several nearby businesses were affected, officials said.
There were no hazardous materials on the plane that would pose an environmental problem, but the location where it crashed “could lead to such situations,” Beshear said. He said a petroleum recycling company and an auto parts company were in the area, calling it a “general response.”
A large cloud of black smoke could be seen near the airport, and local television footage showed fire and debris in a wide radius around the crash site.
Smoke rises from the crash site of a UPS cargo plane near the UPS Worldport at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 4, 2025.
Leandro Lozada | Afp | Getty Images
The National Transportation Safety Board announced Wednesday that it was sending an investigation team to the scene of the accident.
The airport was closed on Tuesday after the crash and all departures for the evening were canceled. A runway reopened Wednesday morning and the airport urged travelers to monitor their flight status for delays or cancellations.
UPS is headquartered in Atlanta, but Louisville Airport is home to its UPS Worldport, which the company says is the largest package handling facility in the world.
“We are deeply saddened by this evening’s accident in Louisville. Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone involved. UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve,” the company said in a statement. “This is especially true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPS employees.”
According to the company, hundreds of UPS flights depart from Louisville every day. UPS announced late Tuesday that it had stopped package sorting at the facility.
“This is a UPS town,” said Louisville City Councilmember Betsy Ruhe.
— CNBC’s Dennis Green and Laya Neelakandan contributed to this report.
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