On the morning of November 4, 2025, a UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Airport in Kentucky.

The flight was UPS 2976, which was en route from Louisville Airport to Honolulu, Hawaii. The aircraft was a cargo plane designed to carry freight, specifically an MD-11F with three engines.

Witnesses reported seeing lights on the left engine and soon after smoke began to appear. The plane had just taken off and climbed about 50 meters when it suddenly lost power and fell towards a nearby automotive parts factory complex. At that moment, a large explosion occurred as a significant amount of aviation fuel loaded for the long flight ignited, sending flames and black smoke into the sky.

The accident happened very quickly. The pilots attempted an emergency landing, but they were too low to gain any altitude. The plane fell near the automotive parts factory and an oil storage facility, causing some surrounding buildings to catch fire. Police and firefighters quickly responded to extinguish the flames and rescue the injured, but unfortunately, it was reported that 3 pilots and 8 people on the ground lost their lives.

At the time, the aircraft was carrying nearly 140,000 liters of fuel, making it difficult to extinguish the fire. The airport was immediately closed, and evacuation orders were issued for people within an 8-kilometer radius.

This aircraft was first manufactured in 1991 and was previously used as a passenger plane before being converted to a cargo plane by UPS, which has been using it since 2006. Being an older aircraft, maintenance is crucial, and the investigation team is focusing on the possibility that "a fire in the left engine may have caused the engine to detach." Experts stated, "The MD-11 has three engines, so it should be able to take off even if one fails, but the crash suggests there may have been a structural issue."

This accident temporarily halted operations at the large logistics center in Louisville, known as 'Worldport,' where UPS's headquarters is located, causing disruptions to delivery schedules across the United States. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are currently investigating the cause of the accident, which may take over a year to determine.

This incident has prompted a renewed consideration of "how important safety management is for cargo aircraft." Even if an aircraft is old, neglecting maintenance can lead to such major accidents. Therefore, there is a growing call for airlines to conduct more thorough maintenance and frequent checks of aircraft engines and fuel systems.