Fire and smoke evidence from a UPS cargo plane crash near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 4, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Stephen Cohen Getty Images News | Getty Images
a UPS The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said the cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky at around 5:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday that at least nine people have died. “Right now, these families need prayers, love and support,” he said. “Let us wrap our arms around them during this unimaginable time.”
Beshear said at a news conference Wednesday that he was “quite confident” the death toll would rise by “at least one person” and expected more details to be released in the afternoon. He said six to seven people other than the crew were injured and the plane crashed into two “sparsely populated” businesses in the area.
Beshear also asked residents and businesses near the crash site not to drink the water and declared a state of emergency in Kentucky.
“This will allow us to move resources more quickly through emergency management and the Kentucky National Guard,” Beshear said. “This also allows us to use national resources.”
The prime minister said at a press conference on Tuesday that 11 people were injured in the incident, some seriously. He said at the time that he expected those numbers to rise further.
UPS said in a statement that the plane had three crew members on board. Beshear said the status of the crew was unknown. He added that an emergency response area had been set up for families.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The plane was an MD-11F, a type of cargo plane manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, which merged with Boeing in 1997. Officials said the plane had about 38,000 gallons of fuel on board for the flight to Honolulu.
The Louisville Metro Police Department implemented a shelter-in-place order Tuesday near the accident scene. Several businesses near the area were affected, officials said.
Beshear said the plane was not carrying any hazardous materials that would pose an environmental problem, but the location of the crash “could create such a situation.” He said there are oil recycling and auto parts businesses in the area and called it an “all hands on deck” response.
Large plumes of black smoke billowed near the airport, and local television footage showed fire and debris in a large area around the crash site.
Smoke rises from the site of a UPS cargo plane crash near UPS Worldport at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 4, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Leandro Lozada | AFP | Getty Images
The National Transportation Safety Board announced Wednesday that it would send an investigation team to the scene of the incident.
The airport was closed on Tuesday following the crash and all evening departures were cancelled. One runway reopened Wednesday morning, and the airport reminded travelers to monitor flight status for delays or cancellations.
UPS’s headquarters are in Atlanta, but Louisville Airport is home to UPS Worldport, which the company says is the world’s largest baggage handling facility.
“We are deeply disappointed by the incident that occurred tonight in Louisville. Our hearts go out to everyone involved. UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, customers, and the communities we serve,” the company said in a statement. “This is especially true in Louisville, which is home to our airlines and thousands of UPS.”
Hundreds of UPS flights take off from Louisville each day, the company said. UPS announced late Tuesday that it had stopped sorting packages at its facilities.
“This is a UPS town,” Louisville City Council member Betsy Rouhe said.
—CNBC’s Dennis Green and Raya Neelakandan contributed to this report.
