A UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded shortly after takeoff at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport Tuesday evening, killing at least nine people and injuring 11 others. At least 16 people remain unaccounted for.
UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time after departing from the Louisville airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter was headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu when it went down.
Video of the crash shows the plane’s left wing catching fire as it attempted to take off. The aircraft lifted briefly off the ground before crashing in a massive fireball.
WATCH: Dash cam video shows UPS plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky pic.twitter.com/dZdpus1fxu
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Three crew members were on board the plane, UPS confirmed. The company has not confirmed the status of the crew.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Wednesday morning that first responders had located nine victims at the crash site. Greenberg said Tuesday night that at least four people killed were on the ground, not on the plane.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed the death toll Wednesday morning and said there is “the possibility of more” fatalities. “Right now these families need prayers, love and support,” Beshear wrote on social media. “Let’s wrap our arms around them during this unimaginable time.”
Beshear said 11 people were injured in the crash, some of them significantly. UofL Health said it received 10 patients from the incident, with two in critical condition in a burn center.
The plane was fully loaded with fuel for the long flight to Hawaii. Officials said the aircraft was carrying approximately 38,000 gallons of jet fuel, which led to a large fire that spread easily to nearby facilities.
The fire took more than 100 first responders over six hours to bring under control. The fires were extinguished by 11 p.m. Tuesday night.
Two businesses were hit by the crash. Kentucky Petroleum Recycling appears to have been “hit pretty directly,” Beshear said, while Grade A Auto Parts was also impacted. Two employees from Grade A Auto Parts were unaccounted for Tuesday night.
Sources told ABC News it appears there was an engine issue during takeoff. Flightradar data showed the last signal from the aircraft indicated a speed of 184 knots at ground altitude, approximately 211 mph.
Louisville Fire Chief Brian O’Neill said fire officials went door-to-door in the immediate area to make sure everyone was accounted for. Search and rescue operations began overnight and continued Wednesday morning.
A shelter-in-place order was initially issued for all locations within five miles of the airport. The order was later reduced to a one-mile radius and then to a quarter-mile radius as air quality improved.
Beshear said no hazardous materials were on board the plane, though officials said several affected businesses contain hazardous materials that need to be addressed.
BREAKING: Death toll in Louisville UPS plane crash rises to 9, with multiple others still missing, governor says pic.twitter.com/LseksAs2M0
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LG&E de-energized power lines into a nearby station because of the crash, interrupting service for around 290 customers. The utility also isolated a portion of its gas system, impacting more than 90 customers.
The airport closed Tuesday following the crash, and all departing flights for the evening were canceled. One runway reopened Wednesday morning, though the airport warned that delays and cancellations remain likely.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 involved in the crash was built in 1991. The aircraft is 34 years old. The MD-11 is a freight transport aircraft primarily flown by FedEx Express, Lufthansa Cargo and UPS Airlines.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash. Investigators from the NTSB and FAA arrived at the scene Wednesday morning.
Louisville International Airport is home to UPS Worldport, the company’s largest package handling facility in the world. The 5.2 million-square-foot facility processes up to 400,000 packages an hour and employs 20,000 UPS workers. The facility sees more than 300 daily UPS flights.
UPS halted package sorting operations at the facility Tuesday night. The company resumed operations Wednesday morning but canceled sorting for its Second Day Air service. Employees in that department were told not to report to work Wednesday. Some UPS packages may be delayed because of the halted operations.
“We are terribly saddened by the accident tonight in Louisville,” UPS said in a statement. “Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone involved.”
Louisville Metro Councilwoman Betsy Ruhe said during a news conference Tuesday night that Louisville is “a UPS town.” “We all know somebody who works at UPS, and they’re all texting their friends, their family, trying to make sure everyone is safe,” Ruhe said. “Sadly, some of those texts are probably going to go unanswered.”