A stunned truck driver captured up-close footage of the moment a UPS MD-11 freighter crashed just beyond Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport late Tuesday, erupting into a fireball seconds after takeoff and igniting an industrial corridor beyond the runway where he was sitting in his vehicle.
The aircraft, bound for Honolulu, went down at about 5.15 p.m. local time. FAA data showed the jet climbed only to just 175 feet and reached 184 knots before taking a sharp plunge.
In terrifying footage circulating online, the driver sitting in the cabin of his truck just beyond the runway captured the moment the plane exploded and smashed into the ground in front of him.
As the roar of the explosion can be heard, the driver leapt from his seat, screaming: “Oh sh*t! Oh my f*cking God!”
Other images that have gone viral on social media show the fireball from afar. CCTV images broadcast by WLKY reportedly showed flames already licking one wing on takeoff, followed by an explosion as the fuselage hit the ground.
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear confirmed “at least seven dead and 11 injured” and warned the toll would rise.
Beshear said, “We have virtually every fire, police, emergency response group that is responding right now to what you’re seeing.” He added that wreckage also struck a recycling center and an auto parts shop. The identities of the dead will be released once next of kin are notified.
“No hazardous cargo” was on board, Beshear added.
All departures were cancelled as the National Transportation Safety Board took charge of the investigation, which is ongoing.
