A tragic incident unfolded near Louisville, Kentucky, when a United Parcel Service (UPS) MD-11 aircraft crashed shortly after its departure, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and injuries to eleven others. The crash occurred in the vicinity of the international airport in Louisville.

The ill-fated UPS Flight 2976 was en route to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu when it went down just after 5 p.m. local time. Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, addressing the media, confirmed the fatalities and described the injuries sustained by survivors as “very significant.” The incident has left the community in shock as emergency services continue their response efforts.

According to UPS, the aircraft was manned by three crew members. The company had earlier released a statement in light of the tragedy.

Governor Beshear cautioned that the figures regarding casualties and injuries remain preliminary as officials work diligently to piece together the full extent of the disaster.

The status of the flight crew on board UPS Flight 2976 remains unknown.

“We do not – at the moment – have the status of the crew,” Governor Beshear added.

“I think we’re all very, very worried about them.”

Authorities at Louisville Metro Police Department said the crash scene will be an “active” one for several days.

”We don’t know how long it’s going to take to render that scene safe for the investigation to take place,” police chief Paul Humphrey said.

The fully-fueled plane crashed into the ground in an industrial area less than 1.6 kilometres from the end of the runway.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said there are multiple injuries and warned residents in the area that the fire is “still burning”.

“There are many road closures in the area – please avoid the scene,” he said in a post on X.

“The plane was carrying 280,000 gallons of fuel.”

Mayor Greenberg likely meant 280,000 pounds of fuel in his post.

The large fire has spread to a recycling centre nearby the airport, Louisville news station WLKY reports.

The airfield around Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport remains closed following the crash.

Billowing black smoke and flames were seen spreading over a field of debris as scores of first responders arrived at the scene.

In a post on X, UPS said it was aware of an “incident” involving one of its aircraft in Louisville.

The sound of an “explosion” was heard near Grade Lane and Fern Valley Road near the international airport, according to local media reports.

A massive plume of black smoke is rising not far from the tarmac at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, videos from CNN affiliate WAVE show.

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is the worldwide air hub for UPS.

The company’s Worldport is more than five million square feet where more than 12,000 UPS employees process more than two million packages a day, according to the company.

A shelter-in-place has been issued for all locations within eight kilometres of the airport, police added.

“LMPD and multiple other agencies are responding to reports of a plan crash near Fern Valley and Grade Lane,” the post said.

“Grade lane will be closed indefinitely between Stooges and Crittenden.”

Witnesses report seeing debris ‘fall from sky’

A man and his son told CNN affiliate WAVE they saw debris falling from the sky after the plane crash.

Justin Dunn said he noticed white paper falling to the ground.

“My son was like, ‘Hey, look in the sky,’ and it was coming down out of the sky and he picked it up,” Dunn said.

“There’s definitely debris all through here, probably within 10 miles (16 kilometres).”

Other residents in the local area said they saw a “massive black cloud” of smoke billowing from the crash site.

”My jaw dropped when I heard minutes later that it was a plane crash,” Louisville woman Amanda Rhye told CNN.

“Everyone else around me realised it too, a couple of dozen people all stopped what they were doing and stared as the cloud quickly grew and expanded miles in every direction.

“Within 20 minutes, the massive black cloud was over us in the sky.”

What is the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F?

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11F is a freight transport aircraft manufactured originally by McDonnell Douglas and later by Boeing.

The aircraft is primarily flown by FedEx Express, Lufthansa Cargo and UPS Airlines for cargo.

The plane also served as a popular wide-bodied passenger airplane after it was first flown in 1990.

As fuel costs increased for the three engine jets many of them were converted to freighters.

The plane can take off weighing in at a maximum 633,000 pounds and carrying more than 38,000 gallons of fuel, according to Boeing, which bought McDonnell Douglass.