At about 5:15 p.m. local time on Nov. 4, 2025, a UPS MD-11F cargo jet crashed shortly after departure from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), producing a large plume of smoke and fires near the airport. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said at least three people were killed and at least 11 others were injured; the status of the three crewmembers reported by UPS was not immediately confirmed. Federal Aviation Administration officials said the aircraft was en route to Honolulu and that the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. Local authorities issued shelter-in-place orders around the impact area while emergency teams responded.
Key Takeaways
- Crash time and location: The MD-11F crashed after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) at about 5:15 p.m. ET on Nov. 4, 2025.
- Casualties and injuries: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear reported at least three fatalities and at least 11 injured, with some injuries described as significant.
- Crew and flight: UPS confirmed three crewmembers were on board; it was not immediately clear whether the fatalities were aboard the aircraft or on the ground.
- Aircraft type and route: The freighter was an MD-11F (McDonnell Douglas design) operating en route to Honolulu.
- Response and safety measures: Authorities implemented a shelter-in-place near the crash site and temporarily suspended all arrivals and departures at SDF.
- Hazard assessment: Officials said there was no declared hazardous material on the aircraft, though the impact site could pose environmental risks.
- Investigations: The FAA and NTSB announced they will open formal investigations into the cause.
- Operational impact: SDF, home to UPS Worldport, temporarily halted flight operations, affecting hundreds of daily flights that normally depart from the hub.
Background
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is the central hub for UPS Worldport, the company’s largest global package-handling facility. The facility supports hundreds of nightly departures and is critical to UPS’s overnight network; disruptions at SDF ripple through national and international shipping schedules. The MD-11F is a three-engine freighter originally developed by McDonnell Douglas; McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997, but the MD-11 remains in freighter service with a limited number of operators.
Historically, cargo freighter operations at major hubs occur during overnight hours when aircraft movements are concentrated, increasing the potential for significant consequences if an accident occurs near populated ground facilities. Federal oversight of such incidents typically involves both the FAA (regulatory and operational response) and the NTSB (accident investigation and probable-cause determination). Local emergency management and state authorities coordinate rescue, fire suppression and environmental assessment when crashes occur near airports and urban areas.
Main Event
According to FAA statements and local reporting, the UPS MD-11F departed SDF shortly before 5:15 p.m. ET and crashed near airport property minutes after takeoff. Witnesses and local television footage showed a large plume of black smoke and fires with debris scattered across a broad area around the impact site. Louisville Metro Police implemented shelter-in-place orders for neighborhoods nearest the crash to protect residents from smoke and potential secondary hazards.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear traveled to Louisville and said emergency response teams were on scene and that family assistance resources were being set up. UPS released a brief statement confirming three crewmembers were aboard and said the company was cooperating with authorities; the airline did not immediately disclose the crew’s condition. Emergency responders prioritized search and rescue, fire containment and triage for the injured.
Airport operations were suspended temporarily; the airport posted that all arriving and departing flights at SDF were temporarily halted while responders secured the scene and authorities assessed damage to airport infrastructure. The FAA and NTSB mobilized to collect evidence, flight data recorders and witness accounts as part of an investigation into the sequence of events that led to the loss of the aircraft.
Analysis & Implications
Immediate implications include disruption to UPS’s logistics network. SDF functions as a global sorting hub with intercontinental connections; even a short disruption can cascade into delayed deliveries and re-routed flights, particularly during peak season. UPS has contingency plans for hub outages, but restoring throughput depends on debris clearance, infrastructure integrity and regulatory approvals.
From a safety oversight perspective, the MD-11F is an older design that has remained in freight service; investigators will examine maintenance records, flight data and crew communications. While aircraft age alone does not determine cause, operators and regulators often review fleet maintenance practices and any airworthiness directives that may apply when an accident involves older airframes.
Environmental and community impact assessments will follow. Authorities indicated no hazardous materials were listed on the manifest, but fuel burns and dispersed wreckage can create localized contamination risks; state environmental agencies will likely sample air, soil and water near the impact area. Public messaging and shelter orders are intended to limit exposure while assessments proceed.
Politically, high-profile crashes at major logistics hubs can prompt regulatory scrutiny and calls for operational reviews. If investigations reveal systemic issues—whether procedural, mechanical, or training-related—Congressional or agency-level hearings could follow given the economic importance of SDF and UPS’s role in national supply chains.
Comparison & Data
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date & time | Nov. 4, 2025, ~5:15 p.m. ET |
| Aircraft | MD-11F freighter |
| Passengers/crew | 3 crewmembers (UPS confirmed) |
| Casualties | At least 3 fatalities; at least 11 injured |
| Flight destination | Honolulu |
The table above collects the core, confirmed data points available shortly after the event. Investigators will expand this dataset with flight-data recorder information, maintenance logs and air-traffic-control communications. The operational impact to UPS’s nightly schedule depends on how long SDF remains closed and the extent of damage to ground infrastructure; even a short closure can create multi-day backlog effects through the network.
Reactions & Quotes
Authorities and stakeholders responded quickly with brief public remarks while emergency operations were ongoing.
“The situation is serious,”
Andy Beshear, Governor of Kentucky
Governor Beshear used that wording on social channels and said he was traveling to the scene; his office directed state emergency assets to support local responders and family assistance efforts.
“There were three crewmembers on the plane,”
UPS (company statement)
UPS confirmed the crew count and said it was cooperating with authorities; the company committed to providing support to families, while withholding further operational detail pending investigation.
“The FAA and the NTSB will investigate this incident,”
Federal Aviation Administration (official statement)
The FAA noted it was coordinating with NTSB for a standard investigative response, including evidence collection and analysis of flight recorders, with the goal of determining probable cause once the review is complete.
Unconfirmed
- Exact origin of the fatalities is not confirmed; investigators have not publicly identified whether deaths were aboard the aircraft or on the ground.
- Cause of the crash remains undetermined pending FAA and NTSB analysis of flight data and wreckage.
- Extent of long-term environmental damage at the impact site has not been fully assessed; sampling and analysis are ongoing.
Bottom Line
The Nov. 4, 2025 crash of a UPS MD-11F near Louisville SDF is a serious aviation accident with immediate human, operational and environmental consequences. With at least three dead and 11 injured, the priority for responders and investigators is victim assistance, scene stabilization and evidence preservation to support a thorough probe.
For the logistics network, short-term disruptions at UPS Worldport could produce shipment delays and reroutes; regulators and company leadership will face questions about maintenance, operations and safety management once initial facts are established. Watch for NTSB preliminary findings, FAA safety alerts, and official statements from UPS and state agencies in the coming days.
Sources
- CNBC — news report summarizing immediate facts and official statements (news).
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — official agency coordinating airspace and initial regulatory response (official).
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) — independent accident investigation agency (official).
- UPS — company statement on crew count and cooperation with authorities (corporate/official).
- Office of the Governor of Kentucky — statements from Governor Andy Beshear and state emergency response coordination (official).
- Louisville Metro Government / Louisville Metro Police — local public-safety updates and shelter-in-place notices (local government).