12 confirmed dead as UPS freighter crashes on take-off

A UPS freighter has crashed while taking off from Louisville, Kentucky hitting several ground premises including a petroleum recycling business sparking a massive fire.

UPS flight 2976 was being operated by a McDonnel Douglas MD11 and was bound for Honolulu, Hawaii.

Officials have confirmed 12 people have been killed in the accident and this is believed to include the 3 crew members. Several people are still accounted for.

Dashcam footage shows the aircraft coming down shortly after take-off and impacting buildings just outside the perimeter of the airport.

Speaking about the scene, Louisville Fire Dept Chief Brian O’Neill said: “When you have such a large scale incident and fire that spread over such a massive area, we have to use hundreds of personnel to surround it, contain it, and then slowly bring it in,” adding “These are trained firefighters from all around the region that are handling this to search, grid by grid, very carefully to make sure if we can find any other victims.”

UPS also released a statement about the accident saying: “We are terribly saddened by the accident tonight 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. This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers.

“We are engaged with the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the accident and are staying in close contact with the Federal Aviation Administration. We will work tirelessly with state and local authorities on response efforts.

“As a result of the accident, we are halting package sorting operations tonight at Worldport.

“Family members seeking information should call 800-631-0604.”

Footage of the accident appears to show the No1 engine missing and unverified images show that it detached during the take-off roll, or as the aircraft rotated.

An MD11 has three engines and ordinarily would still be able to fly on just two of them leading to suggestions that the engine detachment could have damaged hydraulic lines or another engine leaving the aircraft unable to climb.