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Officials Provide Update on UPS Plane Crash: At Least Nine Dead, Dozens Injured or Missing

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  November 05, 2025 1:45 PM

Today, NTSB officials and Kentucky law enforcement gave an update on the deadly UPS plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky, yesterday afternoon. The death toll has risen to nine, with at least 15 more injured and 16 people reported as missing.

Here's more:

At least nine people are dead and more are injured after a UPS plane crashed on Tuesday as it was departing from Louisville, Kentucky, spurring a massive fireball and leaving a trail of destruction, officials said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed at a Wednesday press conference that the death toll currently stands at nine people, but said that number is likely to rise. UPS Flight 2976 crashed Tuesday evening as it departed Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport for Honolulu, according to the FAA.

"I’m now fairly confident that that number will grow by at least one," Beshear said. "We hope it doesn’t grow by too many more."

In a Wednesday morning statement, a spokesperson for Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg was unable to confirm how many people died on the plane and how many died on the ground. The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, had three crew members on board, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Governor Beshear told CNN's Kate Bolduan the crash could've been even worse. This plane barely missed a restaurant/bar. It was very close to a very large Ford plant with hundreds, if not a thousand-plus workers." It did destroy several small businesses near the airport but, thanks to the time of the crash, most employees had gone home. He declared a state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard, according to CNN.

Democratic Rep. Morgan McGarvey (KY-03) said the city looked "apocalyptic" last night. "The images of smoke coming over our city, of debris falling in every neighborhood, people trapped in their homes."

"We are all working together...We are bringing the full resources of the federal government to bear on this tragedy. To make sure that we get answers as quickly as possible."

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg thanked McGarvey and Republican Senator Mitch McConnell's office for their response to the tragedy, noting partisanship was being set aside to help those impacted by the crash.

Additional footage of the crash circulated on social media, showing the severity of the damage.

(Language warning):

An image showed what appeared to be a plane engine on the ground at or near the airport.

Officials said there isn't much left of the fuselage, citing the violent nature of the crash and subsequent fire.

UPS also issued a statement regarding the crash. It read:

We are terribly saddened by the accident tonight in Louisville. Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone involved. UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers.

We are engaged with the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the accident and are staying in close contact with the Federal Aviation Administration. We will work tirelessly with state and local authorities on response efforts.

As a result of the accident, we are halting package sorting operations tonight at Worldport.

Family members seeking information should call 800-631-0604.

CNN said there are two patients in critical condition with burns, and eight others are being treated for various injuries. They are expected to survive.

The names of the victims have not been released yet, pending family notifications, but officials confirmed that three of the fatalities are the unnamed flight crew of the UPS craft.

Mayor Greenberg said the coroner would be confirming the identities of the victims, and officials would share that information as soon as they could. He also asked anyone who finds potential plane debris to contact NTBS and not touch or move the debris.

Last night's shelter-in-place order, which covered a five-mile radius around the airport, has been reduced to a quarter-mile radius around the crash site, per Mayor Greenberg.

Greenberg added, "The search will take a while – very large area" and noted there is a lot of debris for first responders to sift through as they look for clues and possibly other victims.