U.S. federal investigators have recovered the flight recorders from the wreckage of a UPS cargo plane that crashed and erupted in flames during takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least 12 people and halting airport operations.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said both the cockpit voice and flight data recorders were found intact and would be examined at its laboratory in Washington, D.C. NTSB member Todd Inman said a “plume of fire” erupted around the left wing as one of the jet’s three engines detached during takeoff on Tuesday evening.
The 34-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter, bound for Honolulu with three crew members aboard, crashed just beyond the airport perimeter, striking several buildings in an industrial corridor and igniting multiple fires. A petroleum recycling plant exploded, and a debris field stretched about half a mile through the area.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg confirmed that nine people on the ground and all three crew members were killed. At least 11 others were injured, some critically. Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency to accelerate recovery efforts as more than 200 firefighters and 50 emergency vehicles battled the blaze late into the night.
The Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, home to UPS’s Worldport global air hub, reopened early Wednesday, but the damaged runway will remain closed for about 10 days. UPS, which temporarily suspended operations, said it plans to restore normal flight schedules by Thursday morning.
Inman said investigators will focus on why the engine separated and whether it triggered the fire. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, with the full investigation likely to take up to two years.
Aviation expert Anthony Brickhouse noted that while the MD-11 can fly with one engine out, a separation during takeoff can destabilise the aircraft. Boeing and GE Aerospace, which manufacture the plane and its engines, said they are assisting the inquiry.
The accident is the first fatal UPS air crash since 2013, when a freighter went down near Birmingham, Alabama, killing both pilots.
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