Terrifying recent footage captures the moment a UPS plane’s wing caught fire just before the aircraft crashed and exploded in a catastrophic fireball. The UPS plane, carrying 38,000 gallons of fuel, erupted into a fireball shortly after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky at 5:15 pm local time yesterday. The tragic crash claimed the lives of nine individuals, including four who were not on board, and left another 11 people injured, with two in critical condition.
A dramatic video taken during take-off shows the plane’s left wing emitting smoke before abruptly descending and crashing, engulfing the area in flames upon impact. Pablo Rojas, an aviation attorney, noted that the aircraft seemed to struggle to gain altitude with a fire on its left side near one of the engines, indicating an imminent explosion due to the substantial fuel load.
Former Department of Transportation inspector general Mary Schiavo observed that the engine appeared to detach from the aircraft before the final impact and subsequent fireball. The crash involving a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F aircraft has prompted investigations by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to determine the crash’s cause.
The collision directly hit a fuel recycling business near the airport, causing significant damage, and also impacted a car parts business. Firefighters worked tirelessly overnight to contain the fire spread over a vast area and conducted thorough searches for potential victims. The airport remained closed on Wednesday, with reopening expected after several hours.
Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey stated uncertainties about the time needed to secure the crash site, while Fire Chief Brian O’Neill confirmed secondary explosions triggered by the plane hitting fuel tanks at the recycling center, some of which contained propane and oil. Efforts to control the situation were ongoing, with precautions taken due to potential hazards from ruptured storage tanks.
