Lead: On Nov. 4, 2025, a UPS McDonnell Douglas MD-11 crashed while attempting takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky, leaving at least nine people dead and authorities continuing to search for more victims. Recovered cockpit voice and flight data recorders and multiple videos from the scene are now central to investigators’ efforts to reconstruct the sequence of events. Early imagery appears to show a left-wing engine ablaze or detached before the aircraft ran off the runway and caught fire in an industrial park. Officials say the footage, physical wreckage and recorder data will be key to determining why the three-person crew could not stop or safely regain flight.
Key Takeaways
- Crash date and location: Nov. 4, 2025, Louisville, Kentucky; aircraft was a converted MD-11 freighter operated by UPS.
- Casualties and crew: At least nine people confirmed killed; three crew members were on board; death toll expected to change as recovery continues.
- Recovered evidence: Cockpit voice and flight data recorders were recovered and secured for analysis at the NTSB lab in Washington, D.C.
- Video and wreckage clues: Multiple videos show fire on the left wing and images of the left engine separated just off the runway, suggesting an in-flight or gear-area separation.
- Load and fuel: The jet was reported to be carrying as many as 20,000 packages and roughly 255,000 pounds of jet fuel for an approximately 8.5-hour flight to Honolulu.
- Fire conditions: The post-impact blaze burned longer than one hour in an industrial park, potentially exposing recorders to higher-than-usual temperatures.
- Performance context: The MD-11 can fly on two engines in some scenarios, but losing one engine and likely impairing or losing the second near 200 mph while low on runway makes recovery unlikely.
Background
The MD-11 in this accident is a 34-year-old converted freighter type long used by cargo operators for transoceanic routes. Cargo aircraft like this routinely depart with heavy payloads and large fuel loads to reach distant destinations such as Honolulu; the combination increases takeoff weight and reduces margins for handling malfunctions. The MD-11’s three-engine layout places engines on the wings and a third in the tail, a configuration that has different failure modes than twinjets. Aviation regulators and investigators treat engine separations and fire indications during the takeoff roll as high-priority clues because they can rapidly change handling and control.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) leads investigations of U.S. civil aviation accidents and typically dispatches a go-team to secure wreckage, collect digital flight records and review witness media. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the aircraft operator also participate, with manufacturers or maintenance organizations sometimes joining to advise on systems and structural integrity. Local firefighting and recovery teams faced a large blaze in an industrial area, complicating early evidence preservation but focusing rescue and recovery near concentrated wreckage fields.
Main Event
Video distributed by news outlets and captured by bystanders shows flames developing around the left-wing area as the MD-11 accelerated down the runway. Subsequent frames and aerial images depict what appears to be a left engine located off the pavement, consistent with a separation during the takeoff roll. Immediately afterward, footage indicates flames issuing from the tail engine, possibly from debris ingestion or secondary damage.
Investigators have said that with the left engine gone and the tail engine apparently compromised, the airplane would have been severely disadvantaged in producing lift and maintaining control—especially near 200 mph and with limited runway remaining to stop. Witness accounts and video suggest the crew attempted a rotation or rejected takeoff in quick succession, but the aircraft ran off the runway and came to rest amid a large fire in a nearby industrial complex.
Rescue and fire crews reported an intense, prolonged blaze that burned for more than an hour. The burning of jet fuel together with industrial materials likely elevated temperatures beyond simple fuel-only combustion ranges, raising concern about potential damage to components and the survivability of data recorders. Recovery teams prioritized locating the left engine, the tail section where the recorders are housed, and other critical wreckage for forensic examination.
Analysis & Implications
From an operations standpoint, an engine separation during the takeoff roll is a rare but catastrophic event because it changes weight distribution and can destroy lift-producing surfaces. Even if an MD-11 is certified to continue flight on two engines under some conditions, losing one wing engine plus a malfunctioning tail engine while traveling near takeoff speed reduces aerodynamic and control margins to near zero. That combination helps explain why the crew faced an almost untenable scenario.
Investigators will triangulate video timestamps, radar/flight tracking data, and recorder-derived parameters such as engine performance, control inputs, and system warnings. Flight data should show engine N1/N2/EGT trends, airspeed, configuration, and control-surface positions; the cockpit voice recorder will reveal crew communication and any system alerts. These datasets, when matched with imagery and wreckage fingerprinting, typically allow root-cause identification—whether mechanical failure, maintenance factor, foreign object damage, or a sequence of cascading events.
There are broader implications for cargo operations: heavy payloads and long-range fuel loads limit margins for error during takeoff, and aging airframes require careful structural and engine maintenance oversight. If investigators identify a design- or fleet-wide issue, regulators could issue airworthiness directives or targeted inspections. Conversely, if the cause is isolated—maintenance error or an external object strike—remedial actions would likely focus on procedures and local safeguards.
Comparison & Data
| Item | Reported Value |
|---|---|
| Confirmed fatalities (initial) | At least 9 |
| Crew on board | 3 |
| Max packages aboard | Up to 20,000 |
| Fuel aboard | ~255,000 lb |
| Aircraft age | 34 years (converted freighter) |
| Approx. takeoff speed noted | ~200 mph |
These figures provide immediate context: the combination of heavy cargo, large fuel load and an aging airframe increases the severity of any powerplant or structural failure during takeoff. Historical comparisons show that runway overruns with concurrent engine loss are rare but disproportionately lethal due to fire and debris fields in populated or industrial zones near airports.
Reactions & Quotes
Authorities and industry experts offered guarded statements as recovery and analysis continued. Local emergency officials described intense firefighting and recovery operations amid dangerous conditions.
“Our teams are focused on rescue, recovery and preserving evidence to assist federal investigators.”
Local emergency operations official
That statement came as crews coordinated with federal investigators to secure wreckage and search for the recorders. Industry analysts noted the investigative sequence that typically follows in-flight structural or engine failures.
“The cockpit voice and flight data recorders are the highest priority — they reveal what the crew was seeing and what the airplane was doing.”
Aviation safety analyst
Experts emphasized that while preliminary imagery is revealing, definitive conclusions require forensic laboratory work on the recorders and metallurgical examination of the separated engine and wing components.
Unconfirmed
- Whether debris ingestion into the tail engine definitively caused the tail engine flames is not yet confirmed by recorder or metallurgical data.
- Investigation has not publicly concluded if maintenance status or a preexisting mechanical fault precipitated the left engine separation.
- Final passenger/casualty figures and the precise sequence of crew actions remain subject to validation by the NTSB.
Bottom Line
The combination of video showing a left-wing fire/separation, apparent tail-engine distress, heavy fuel and cargo load, and a high takeoff speed explains why the MD-11 could not be saved in this incident. The recovered flight recorders and detailed examination of the left engine and wing will be decisive in determining the root cause, whether a mechanical breakage, foreign object damage, maintenance lapse or a chain reaction of failures.
Investigators will publish interim findings in the weeks and months ahead while lab analyses proceed. Until forensic results are released, public conclusions should remain provisional; however, the available imagery and physical evidence already guide investigators toward focused technical lines of inquiry that may lead to industry notices or regulatory action if systemic issues are identified.
Sources
- CBS News — news report and scene video (journalism)
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) — official investigative authority (official)
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — regulatory authority and operational data (official)
- Flightradar24 — publicly available flight-tracking data referenced for flight path info (commercial data)
- Associated Press — distributed imagery and reporting (news agency)