A quiet Tuesday evening in Louisville, Kentucky, turned into a nightmare when a UPS cargo plane burst into flames moments after takeoff, crashing into nearby buildings and killing at least seven people. Officials say more victims may still be unaccounted for, as rescue crews continue to comb through debris and burning wreckage.
The aircraft — identified as UPS Flight 2976, a Boeing 767 freighter bound for Honolulu — went down just three miles south of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport shortly after 5:15 p.m. local time. Within minutes, what began as a routine departure became one of the most catastrophic aviation accidents in the region’s recent history.
The Crash and the Firestorm
Witnesses described seeing the aircraft ascend briefly before a loud explosion shook the ground. “It looked like the plane was struggling to gain altitude,” said one resident who lives near the airport. “Then it dipped, clipped something, and there was a fireball. The sky lit up orange.”
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