Video captured the terrifying moment a UPS cargo plane erupted in flames before crashing into Louisville businesses Tuesday, sending people running for their lives.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 lost its left engine during takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, with dash cam footage shared by Anela Hadžić showing the aircraft ablaze seconds before impact. The plane, carrying 38,000 gallons of fuel, slammed into buildings south of the airport and created a debris field stretching over half a mile, NBC News reported.
“There was a huge ball of fire and massive multiple explosions occurring all around and obviously people running and screaming,” Sean Garber told NBC News. Garber owns Grade A Auto Parts and Scrap Metal Recycling, which lost four of its 18 buildings in the blast. (RELATED: UPS Cargo Plane Crashes After Takeoff From Louisville Airport)
Video from my dads dash cam. Praying for everyone involved. Louisville, KY pic.twitter.com/GTb3BQMmoo
— Anela Hadžić (@NelaHadzic) November 6, 2025
About two dozen people occupied the buildings when Flight 2976 crashed. The death toll stands at 12, with nine people still missing Thursday, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said, according to the outlet.
“You hear people say, ‘Oh you only see that in the movies.’ This was worse than the movies,” Greenberg said at a press conference. He warned the death count could rise as crews search through layers of charred metal.
The Honolulu-bound flight carried three crew members, all confirmed dead. A young child also died in the explosion, Kentucky officials said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recovered the plane’s black boxes and sent them to Washington for analysis. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy dismissed concerns about the government shutdown affecting operations in a Thursday interview with Fox News.
“This was not an air traffic controller issue. I want to be clear on that,” Duffy said. “This appeared more mechanical. But we do have the flight and data recorders, those are in the process of being analyzed and will tell us what was happening on that aircraft.”