Timeline: Flight Data Depicts UPS Cargo Jet’s Final Minutes Before Fatal KY Crash
As of Wednesday morning, at least 12 people have died following the crash at Louisville’s airport. The UPS cargo plane crash occurred late Tuesday afternoon and also injured several others.
The cargo flight was a regularly scheduled service operated by UPS to Honolulu three times a week, according to public aviation data. The wide-body, tri-engine McDonnell Douglas MD-11F arrived from Baltimore Tuesday morning and was planned to depart Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport at 3 p.m., according to Flightradar24.com.
The jet did not begin moving down the runway until about 5:08 p.m., based on real-time flight tracking data. The reason for the two-hour delay remains unclear.
Final Moments of the Flight
Videos from the scene captured the aircraft speeding down the airport’s longest runway with its No. 1 left wing engine visibly on fire. Seconds later, after climbing just 175 feet, the jet began veering towards an industrial park south of the airport where it crashed into buildings and exploded.
According to Flightradar24 data: "after climbing just 175 feet off the ground, the Boeing-made jet began careening toward an industrial park just south of the airport, where it impacted nearby buildings and exploded."
First responders arrived quickly to contain the fire, which was fueled by 38,000 gallons of jet fuel aboard the aircraft.
Author's Summary: The UPS cargo jet’s crash in Louisville tragically killed 12 people after an unexplained delay and engine fire led to the aircraft’s short climb and subsequent crash into an industrial area.