In Louisville, Kentucky, a tragic incident unfolded as a UPS cargo plane’s left wing caught fire, causing its engine to detach and ultimately leading to a devastating crash. According to a federal official’s statement on Wednesday, this catastrophe claimed the lives of at least 12 individuals, including a child.

The grim scene at UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub, made the likelihood of finding survivors appear slim, as noted by Governor Andy Beshear. The massive blaze not only engulfed the aircraft but also spread to nearby businesses, further complicating the rescue efforts.

Details from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is spearheading the investigation, revealed that the plane was cleared for takeoff when a significant fire erupted in the left wing, shared Todd Inman, an NTSB official. The investigation will focus on uncovering the reasons behind the fire and the engine’s detachment, a process expected to take over a year.

Despite gaining enough altitude to clear the runway’s boundary, the aircraft tragically crashed just beyond the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, Inman told the press.

Security footage from the airport provided crucial evidence, capturing the moment when the plane’s left engine separated from the wing during takeoff, Inman explained.

Investigators have successfully recovered both the cockpit voice recorder and data recorder, and the detached engine was found on the airfield, added Inman, as the investigation continues to unravel the causes behind this catastrophic event.

“There are a lot of different parts of this airplane in a lot of different places,” he said, describing a debris field that stretched for half a mile.

A chain reaction

The plane with three people aboard crashed about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at the Louisville airport.

The crash had a devastating ripple effect, striking and causing smaller explosions at Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and hitting an auto salvage yard, Grade A Auto Parts. Beshear said the child who died was with a parent at the parts business.

Beshear earlier said it was a “blessing” that the plane did not hit a nearby Ford Motor factory or the convention center.

Some people who heard the boom, saw the smoke and smelled burning fuel were still stunned a day later.

“I didn’t know if we were getting attacked. I didn’t know what was going on,” said Summer Dickerson, who works nearby.

Stooges Bar and Grill bartender Kyla Kenady said lights suddenly flickered as she took a beer to a customer on the patio.

“I saw a plane in the sky coming down over top of our volleyball courts in flames,” she said. “In that moment, I panicked. I turned around, ran through the bar screaming, telling everyone that a plane was crashing.”

Manager Lynn Cason said explosions, only about 100 yards (90 meters) away, shook the building three times — “like somebody was bombing us” — but no one there was injured.

“God was definitely with us,” Cason said.

The number of victims is unclear

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced on the social platform X on Wednesday evening that the death toll had risen to 12, saying, “Please take a moment to hug your loved ones and check on your neighbors.”

The governor predicted that the death toll would rise, saying authorities were looking for a “handful of other people” but “we do not expect to find anyone else alive.”

Mark Little, chief of the Okolona Fire District in Louisville, said debris would have to be moved and searched, adding: “It will take us quite a while.”

University of Louisville Hospital said two people were in critical condition in the burn unit. Eighteen people were treated and discharged at that hospital or other health care centers.

The airport is 7 miles (11 kilometers) from downtown Louisville, close to the Indiana state line, residential areas, a water park and museums. The airport resumed operations on Wednesday, with at least one runway open.

Beshear said he did not know the status of the three UPS crew members aboard the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 made in 1991. It was not clear if they were being counted among the dead.

UPS said it was “terribly saddened.” The Louisville package handling facility is the company’s largest. The hub employs more than 20,000 people in the region, handles 300 flights daily and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.

‘We all know somebody who works at UPS’

UPS said it was “terribly saddened.” The Louisville package handling facility is the company’s largest. The hub employs thousands of workers, handles 300 flights daily and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.

“We all know somebody who works at UPS,” Louisville Metro Council member Betsy Ruhe said.

The governor said The Team Kentucky Emergency Relief Fund, typically used to help people in natural disasters, is accepting donations to help with funeral expenses and other hardships.

“In Kentucky, we grieve together and we support one another,” Beshear said.

Similarities to previous crash

Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, said a number of things could have caused the fire as the UPS plane was rolling down the runway.

“It could have been the engine partially coming off and ripping out fuel lines. Or it could have been a fuel leak igniting and then burning the engine off. It’s just too soon to tell,” Guzzetti said.

He said the crash bears a lot of similarities to one in 1979 when the left engine fell off an American Airlines jet as it was departing Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, killing 273 people.

Guzzetti said this UPS plane and the American plane were equipped with the same General Electric engines and both planes underwent heavy maintenance in the month before they crashed. The NTSB blamed the Chicago crash on improper maintenance. The 1979 crash involved a DC-10, but the MD-11 UPS plane is based on the DC-10.

Flight records show the UPS plane was on the ground in San Antonio from Sept. 3 to Oct. 18, but it was unclear what maintenance was performed and if it had any impact on the crash.