LOUISVILLE, KY — A UPS MD-11 cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday, prompting emergency response from the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and other agencies. Injuries have been reported, though details remain preliminary.
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Videos from local affiliate WAVE show a massive plume of black smoke rising near the tarmac. LMPD issued a shelter-in-place order for all locations within five miles of the airport and closed Grade Lane between Stooges and Crittenden indefinitely.
The airport serves as UPS’s global air hub, with the 5-million-square-foot Worldport facility processing more than two million packages daily with over 12,000 employees.
Authorities are reporting that at least 25,000 gallons of jet fuel was onboard the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 at the time of the crash in Louisville, Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/TOG40kefBA
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 4, 2025
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11F is a wide-body freighter originally manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and later Boeing. Once a popular passenger aircraft, many MD-11s were converted to cargo planes due to fuel costs. The aircraft can carry over 38,000 gallons of fuel and take off at a maximum weight of 633,000 pounds. UPS, along with FedEx Express and Lufthansa Cargo, operates the MD-11 for freight transport.
Officials are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the crash.