Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky is currently closed to arriving and departing flights, following the crash of (UPS2976), a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 being operated as a cargo plane by UPS Airlines that had just taken-off from the UPS Worldport in… pic.twitter.com/vck5PmJMNK

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 4, 2025

Not politics related per se but with the shutdown rhetoric, it will be

This is a bad one given the length of the debris/fire field.

I tried embedding this link on my thread, but it wouldn't go.

LIVE | Plane crash reported near Louisville airport - YouTube

Geez, the spread of that fire. I hope casualties are some how minimal. Looks like mostly a bunch of parked cars? Is that a junk yard?

UPS2976, N259UP

Flight history for UPS flight 5X2976

The debris next to the runway looks like the engine cover. Total speculation but did an engine fly apart, potentially severing hydraulics and cause the plane to crash due to some combination of low thrust and compromised controls.

ETA. There is video showing the plane on fire as it is starting to lift off the runway.

I commented to my wife as we passed by their DFW facility and I saw one of these big ol birds parked.

Prayers for those involved.

Kansas Kid said:

---

The debris next to the runway looks like the engine cover. Total speculation but did an engine fly apart, potentially severing hydraulics and cause the plane to crash due to some combination of low thrust and compromised controls.

---

Would not be the first time of something similar, AA191 at ORD, although in that one the entire engine flew off due to a maintenance ****up.

Looks like several salvage yards just south of the runway.

Also, UPS distribution center just south of runway.

From the video, it looks like the plane hit the roof of UPS facility and bounced up. UPS facility doesn't seem to be burning, but there is a gash in the roof.

FatZilla said:

---

Left engine fully engulfed in flames during takeoff, never made it off the runway it looked like, just nose up and ass still on ground and hit barriers.

Video of the Louisville plane crash. pic.twitter.com/KVJYl8afRh

— Mark Blankenbaker (@UofLSheriff50) November 4, 2025

---

Holy ****, questions.

1) Why did they continue to try and take off? Sure they had an alarm screaming at them they had an engine fire.

2) Why didn't they abort due to distance remaining? Are they supposed to completely abandon takeoff at a certain marker?

Not an aviation expert by any means, but hard to argue that's anything other than a mechanical issue (not say an "air traffic control" issue)…

Rapier108 said:

---

Looks like catastrophic left engine failure. Probably happened after V1 and they were committed to the sky.

---

Got airborne...for a moment

Rapier108 said:

---

Looks like catastrophic left engine failure. Probably happened after V1 and they were committed to the sky.

---

This may answer both of my questions.

Rapier108 said:

---

Looks like catastrophic left engine failure. Probably happened after V1 and they were committed to the sky.

---

Yep. Yikes.

Rapier108 said:

---

Looks like catastrophic left engine failure. Probably happened after V1 and they were committed to the sky.

---

Perhaps runway FOD or a bird got sucked into the engine?

They might have continued because they were past V1, which is your takeoff decision speed. Even if you have an engine fire or failure, you should be able to continue the takeoff and safely get airborne if you are at or past V1.

I can only assume there was a hydraulic or flight control issue as well, which caused the crash. An engine failure alone should not have been the contributing factor to this terrible accident.

Got a few buddies at UPS (pilots). Trying to reach out to em now and make sure they are okay

Did it? It definitely got nose up but looking at the one video posted it look like it never got airborne.

Also possible it struck something on the runway. The airplane experts can opine better but that was a hell of a fire. Reminded me of the Air France Concorde accident.

flown-the-coop said:

---

Did it? It definitely got nose up but looking at the one video posted it look like it never got airborne.

Also possible it struck something on the runway. The airplane experts can opine better but that was a hell of a fire. Reminded me of the Air France Concorde accident.

---

Yeah, you expand up you can see him leave the runway, but appears to sink shortly after

Flight data suggests the aircraft was bound for Honolulu. Max amount of fuel for the MD-11 is 146,174 liters (38,615 US gallons). I'll be surprised if anyone walks away from that.

The helo feed earlier showed a divot cut out of the top of first warehouse at the end of the runway immediately before the crash site. Seemed like they might have been up to a couple dozen feet off the ground at the point, but it's dark now and the footage wasn't perfectly clear

WATCH: UPS plane (UPS2976) crashes after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

Video validated by the Network pic.twitter.com/h9FtsLRumc

— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) November 4, 2025

Yikes. Though if that was the UPS facility v salvage yard that may have saved lives.

It had to have been airborne. It looks like it crossed a highway, RR tracks and a canal before contacting the buildings.

CCTV captures UPS flight UPS2976 crashing shortly after departing Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. pic.twitter.com/9WyrcpSkdd

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 4, 2025

Definitely got its nose up

Good situ awareness to be "giant plane crashed into a huge fireball, perhaps we should leave the area." Many disputes would have driven closer.

FireAg said:

---

Rapier108 said:

---

Looks like catastrophic left engine failure. Probably happened after V1 and they were committed to the sky.

---

Perhaps runway FOD or a bird got sucked into the engine?

---

Could be, FOD brought down a Concorde around 2000/2001 when taking off and then right into a village I believe.
Found a video

Found to be linked to Continental Airlines Flight 55 a MD DC-10-30. I believe it was a titanium alloy strip that caused the flight to crash when it punctured a hole in the fuselage.

My first thought was FOD. Reminded me of Concorde

There is some sort of a chemical or gas plant that is on fire. I can't understand one's existence that close to an airport runway.

P.H. Dexippus said:

---

It had to have been airborne. It looks like it crossed a highway, RR tracks and a canal before contacting the buildings.

---

Even in the new video in who?'s post above it doesn't look airborne at all.