Recently surfaced video footage has captured the harrowing moments when a UPS cargo plane exploded, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least seven people and injuring 11 more. The incident occurred shortly after the aircraft departed from a Kentucky airport last night.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 burst into flames just after 5:15 PM as it took off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. The plane was on its way to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Loaded with 38,000 gallons of fuel for the long journey to Hawaii, the explosion ignited a massive fire that spread across a five-mile radius.

The fiery debris struck two local businesses, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and Grade A Autoparts. According to Governor Andy Beshear, all employees from these companies were accounted for except two, who were later located.

Thanks to a combination of CCTV and mobile phone footage from around the area, the final moments of the plane’s ill-fated journey have been pieced together.

One particularly distressing clip from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport shows the aircraft’s left wing engulfed in flames as it lifted off.

The left engine of the MD-11 appeared to be on fire, though a cause for this has not yet been revealed. 

The plane left a large trail of smoke behind it as it shakily took off. One person was heard saying: ‘Bro, hold on, hold on, I think it’s gonna crash.’ 

As the plane crashed into the ground, he said: ‘Holy s***!’ 

The plane’s left wing was on fire as it took off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport last night

Seven people were killed and eleven were injured when a large UPS plane exploded as it took off from a Louisville, Kentucky airport on Tuesday

Fire and smoke mark where a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 4, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky

 The video showed a massive plume of fire rising into the sky. The man filming said: ‘They’re dead. They are dead, bro’.

There were three crew members onboard the flight at the time, UPS officials have confirmed. But it is unclear whether the fatalities were members of the crew.

‘From the videos I’ve seen, I’m very concerned for them, but I’m still praying,’ Beshear said at a news conference Tuesday night.  ‘It may be some time until we can account for everyone,’ he warned.   

Locals had reported hearing a loud explosion as the businesses were struck, with Louisville Metro Police spokesman Matt Sanders telling WDRB the department received 20 calls for service as debris fell out of the sky.

‘It fell out of the sky when I was working on the car, and that’s when we found out abut the crash,’ Justin Dunn told KKTV as he held up a piece of charred paper. 

‘And then my son was like, “Hey look up in the sky” and it was coming down out of the sky when he picked it up.’  

Dash cam footage taken by a local driver showed the moment the plane cut across one of the businesses

The on-fire plane careened across the car park of one business as a truck driver was sat inside 

Dash cam footage taken by a local driver showed the moment the plane cut across one of the businesses. 

The on-fire plane careened across the car park of one business as a truck driver was sat inside. 

Its wing disintegrated as it dragged itself across the ground, with a large trail of fire billowing behind it.

Multiple vehicles were consumed in the fire’s wake. 

The terrified driver, still inside his vehicle, was heard screaming: ‘Holy s***! Oh, my f***ing God!’

The petrified man was seen leaving his vehicle as he witnessed the plane crash into the ground.  

Witnesses also reported finding Hawaiian-style dresses that are believed to have come from the plane, according to WAVE.

‘There’s definitely debris all through here, probably within 10 miles,’ Dunn said.   

The fully fueled plane crashed shortly after takeoff with a shelter-in-place order issued for within five miles of the airport

The crash involved a UPS MD-11 plane with three crew members onboard

Surveillance footage captured the moment the UPS plane crashed into the ground. 

CCTV footage taken at a local business showed the ground shaking as the plane was forced downwards. 

Coming in sideways, a frame-by-frame analysis showed the wing disintegrating as it travelled across the land.  

A massive trail of fire following the plane’s path was seen rising into the air. 

A man in a large red truck that was parked just metres from the plane’s path of destruction was seen running from his vehicle in fear. 

He was then seen climbing on top of another car, in an apparent attempt to get a better view.  

Louisville Metro Police then announced on social media that several agencies are responding to the scene south of the airport as authorities urged community members to avoid the area. 

They said it remained an active scene with ‘smoke and debris’, as they issued a shelter-in-place order which at one point covered much of the city.

‘Please remain away from the area until further notice,’ the police department urged as authorities secured the buildings. 

Authorities have issued a shelter-in-place order around the international airport 

Smoke rises after a UPS plane crashed in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. November 4, 2025, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video

One clip laid bare the destruction caused by the explosion. A massive tower of smoke was seen rising up in the air, seemingly caused by the ignition of the 38,000 gallons of aviation fuel in the plane at the time. 

The tar-black smoke spread across the Bluegrass state throughout the evening, with another clip showing just how widely it had spread from the airport.

A third video showed the evening sun illuminating the ever-rising smoke that kept growing over Louisville.  

The airport remained closed Tuesday night, and those with scheduled flights on Wednesday are urged to check their flight status as travel chaos continues nationwide.  

Those who found debris were also urged not to touch it and instead fill out a form. 

Meanwhile, operations were halted at UPS Worldport, the company’s largest shipping and logistics facility globally, which processes two million packages each day, through Wednesday.  

Employees who work on the company’s Next Day Air sort were even told not to report to work, the Louisville Courier Journal reports. 

‘We are terribly saddened by the accident tonight in Louisville. Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone involved,’ the company said in a statement.

‘UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve,’ it added. ‘This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers.’

It added that it is ‘engaged’ with the National Transportation Safety Board investigation and are ‘staying in close contact’ with the FAA.

‘We will work tirelessly with state and local authorities on response efforts,’ the company vowed. 

The MD-11 plane exploded around 5.15pm as it departed Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport

Terrifying video shared to social media showed the aircraft attempting to takeoff with a ball of fire emanating from its left wing

The airport remained closed Tuesday night, and those with scheduled flights on Wednesday are urged to check their flight status as travel chaos continues nationwide

FlightRadar24 data revealed the plane, UPS2976, made an incredibly short journey before it crashed. 

Having taxied from the terminals of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, it had barely made it off the runway before slamming into the land in the southeast of the city.  

Amid the tragedy, Mayor Craig Greenberg said he and his wife, Rachel, are praying for the victims.

‘We have every emergency agency responding to the scene,’ he said on social media. ‘There are multiple injuries and the fire is still burning. 

‘There are many road closures in the area – please avoid the scene.’ 

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also asked the public to ‘please join me in prayer for the Louisville community and flight crew impacted by this horrific crash.’

He added that the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA ‘are mobilizing to get on the ground and will lead the investigation’.