New perspectives are emerging regarding the UPS wide-body cargo plane crash that occurred in Kentucky on Tuesday. Among them is a CCTV recording from a local business, vividly illustrating the rapid emergence of a massive fireball.
The footage, provided by Kentucky Truck Parts & Service, captures UPS Flight 2976 as it enters the frame from the top right before making a catastrophic descent. The impact was so severe that it created a thunderous noise, even causing the CCTV camera to tremble.
The fiery crash happened just before dusk, shortly after the plane’s departure from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. This incident sparked multiple fires in a nearby industrial area, compelling authorities to suspend all flight operations overnight, according to officials.
The tragedy resulted in the loss of seven lives, including all three individuals on board, and left 11 others on the ground injured.
In a statement, UPS expressed profound sorrow, saying, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic accident in Louisville.”
A fireball erupted near the airport following reports of a plane crash at Louisville International Airport on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, in Louisville, Kentucky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the accident investigation and was sending a team to the site, a spokesperson said.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 was headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials said. The aircraft was loaded with more than 200,000 pounds of fuel at the time of the incident.
FAA records obtained by Reuters showed the plane was 34 years old.
In a Tuesday night service alert, UPS said delivery schedules for airborne and international packages “may be affected” by the disruption.
Smoke rises from the site of a UPS cargo plane crash near the UPS Worldport at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 4, 2025. A UPS cargo plane crashed on the evening of November 11 near the Louisville International Airport shortly after takeoff, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, as local media in the Kentucky city aired video of a large plume of smoke rising above the facility. “UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time,” the FAA said, identifying the aircraft as a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 headed to Hawaii. (LEANDRO LOZADA/AFP via Getty Images)
“Contingency plans are in place to help ensure that shipments arrive at their final destinations as quickly as conditions permit,” it added.
The Louisville airport, which is home to UPS Worldport – a global hub for the shipping company’s air cargo operations and its largest package-handling facility worldwide – was again “available for aircraft operations” Wednesday morning, the airport’s website said in an update. The airport did advise travelers “to closely monitor their flight status as delays and cancellations are likely following yesterday’s incident.”
UPS is the largest employer in Louisville, providing 26,000 jobs, according to the publication Louisville Business First.
