A UPS cargo plane’s left wing caught fire and an engine fell off just before it crashed and exploded after takeoff in Kentucky, a federal investigator said Wednesday, offering the first official details about a disaster that killed at least 11 people, including a child.
First responders, meanwhile, searched for more victims, a day after the crash at UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub in Louisville. It created an inferno that consumed the enormous aircraft and spread to nearby businesses.
The plane crashed about 5:15 p.m. local time as it was departing for Honolulu from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear posted online Wednesday morning that 16 families who gathered at a reunification centre “have reported loved ones unaccounted for,” but he later broke the news that the death toll had gone up.
The tough news continues today as the death toll in Louisville has now risen to at least 11, and I expect it to be 12 by end of the day. Even harder news is that we believe one of those lost was a young child. 1/2
More than 200 emergency workers responded to the crash on Tuesday night and the city will continue to use all available resources, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg told WLKY-TV on Wednesday morning.
Video showed flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke. The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in flames. Video showed portions of a building’s shredded roof next to the end of the runway.
Beshear said a business, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, appeared to be “hit pretty directly,” and a nearby auto parts operation was also affected. He said the crash narrowly missed a restaurant bar, a Ford plant and the city’s convention centre, which was hosting a livestock show.
“I don’t know how many victims we’re actually looking for,” said Mark Little, chief of the Okolona Fire District in Louisville. “That’s one of the issues, and the debris zone is so large. Some of that debris is going to have to be moved and searched underneath. It will take us quite awhile.”
University of Louisville Hospital said two people were in critical condition in the burn unit Wednesday. Eighteen people were treated and discharged at that hospital or other health-care centers.
WATCH | Giant fireball following crash:
A huge fireball erupted leaving a trail of smoke after a UPS plane with three people on board crashed at the Louisville, Ky., airport on Nov. 4.
‘We all know somebody who works at UPS’
The Louisville package handling facility is the company’s largest. UPS announced late Tuesday that package sorting at the centre was halted, and the company told workers to not show up on Wednesday, either.
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. “And they’re all texting their friends, their family, trying to make sure everyone is safe. Sadly, some of those texts are probably going to go unanswered. My heart goes out to those families and those friends.”
The Louisville airport shut down after the crash but began to resume operations Wednesday morning. Flights cancelled Tuesday were prioritized for departure, although some Wednesday flights remained grounded.
In May 2017, a propeller plane carrying UPS cargo that took off from Louisville crashed at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston, killing the pilot and co-pilot.
Video shows balls of flames
A video taken by Leirim Rodríguez shows several massive balls of flames exploding into the sky in a row, followed by large billowing clouds of black smoke. Rodriguez told The Associated Press she and her husband just happened to be in the area at the time of the explosion.
Tom Brooks Jr., who runs a metal recycling business down the street, said the crash “just rocked the whole place.”
“This was massive. I mean, it literally looked like a war zone,” he said.
Destyn Mitchell said she was working as a host at an Outback restaurant, about a 15-minute drive from the crash, when she heard a “very loud boom.” About 20 people were in the restaurant.
“The mood in the restaurant was very shaken up,” Mitchell said. “Everyone is really concerned. People who just sat down to eat got up and left in under 30 minutes and packed up their food because they wanted to hurry up and get home.”
A shelter-in-place order that initially covered a one-mile radius was reduced to a quarter mile as air quality improved.
There was no hazardous cargo on board, officials said. Greenberg said the National Transportation Safety Board has sent a 28-strong crew to investigate the crash.
‘All our friends were there’
Eric Richardson stood outside a police training academy, where people gathered waiting for word of their missing loved ones on Tuesday night. He said was hoping for information about his girlfriend, who had been at a metal recycling business near the explosion and wasn’t answering her phone.
Her phone’s live location said she was still there.
Bobby Whelan, Richardson’s friend, had been in front of her in line, but had left minutes before the explosion. He said he was about a quarter of a mile down the road when he heard what sounded like a bomb exploding.
“We don’t even want to think about anything but the best,” Whelan said. “All our friends were there.”
Pablo Rojas, an aviation attorney, said that based on videos of the crash, the aircraft appeared to be struggling to gain altitude as a fire blazed on its left side around one of its engines. Given the fuel the plane was carrying, it was only a matter of time before the blaze spread rapidly or an explosion happened.
“Really, the plane itself is almost acting like a bomb because of the amount of fuel,” he said.
