A UPS plane crashed near Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday evening, causing injuries and sending a plume of fire and black smoke into the sky.
Officials from multiple agencies are responding to the crash, the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department wrote on X.
Police described the site of the crash near Fern Valley and Grade Lane as an “active scene with fire and debris,” with multiple injuries reported.
The UPS MD-11 aircraft crashed around 5.15pm local time shortly after the plane departed the airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Honolulu-bound plane had three crew members onboard, according to UPS.
“At this time, we have not confirmed any injuries/casualties,” the company wrote in a statement.
The Louisville airport is a major hub for the company.
Aerial video of the crash site shared by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation shows a raging fire and an industrial-looking building with damage to its roof.
The cargo plane was carrying 280,000 gallons of fuel at the time of the crash, a spokesperson for Mayor Craig Greenberg told The New York Times.
The jet reached an altitude of about 175 feet and then began to fall sharply, according to flight data tracker Flightradar24.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
The airfield has temporarily been closed as the situation develops, according to officials there.
The public is urged to stay away from the site of the crash, and a shelter-in-place order has been issued for locations within a 5-mile radius around the airport. Minors Lane Elementary students, whose school is within the radius, were forced to evacuate.
“The situation is serious,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wrote on X. “Please pray for the families affected. I’m headed to Louisville now.”
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy called the crash “heartbreaking.”
“Please join me in prayer for the Louisville community and flight crew impacted by this horrific crash,” he wrote on X.
The crash comes at a time of intense strain on the U.S. air transit system during the ongoing government shutdown.
Air traffic controllers have been forced to work without pay, and staffing shortages have caused delays at airports around the country.
