UPS Flight 2976, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (freighter version, tail number N259UP) manufactured in 1991, crashed shortly after taking off from Louisville International Airport (SDF) around 5:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. The aircraft, carrying three crew members, was headed toward Honolulu, Hawaii.
During the takeoff roll, airport security video captured a large plume of fire erupting near the left wing, and the left engine detached from the wing. The plane briefly lifted off, reaching approximately 175 feet in altitude before impacting structures and terrain about three miles south of the airfield.
A massive post-impact fire followed, intensified by the large amount of fuel onboard, approximately 38,000 gallons, or 233,000 pounds. The resulting debris field extends for about half a mile. The crash tragically resulted in the confirmed deaths of at least 12 people, with 14 others believed missing as of Wednesday night.
Two local businesses were directly impacted, including an auto parts facility and a petroleum recycling facility. NTSB investigators have located and recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR), commonly known as the black boxes. Despite suffering some heat, specialists anticipate being able to obtain a good readout of the applicable data from the recorders once they are processed in Washington, D.C. according to the NTSB.
An official NTSB news conference was held on 5th of November. UPS has issued a statement and outlined the impact on company operations. As the recovery operations transfer into investigation of this horrible disaster, our thoughts and prayers are with those are with everyone involved.
