It began as a routine cargo flight bound for Honolulu and ended in an inferno that has reignited memories of one of America's darkest aviation disasters. The crash of UPS Flight 2976 in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday afternoon has drawn chilling comparisons to 1979's American Airlines Flight 191 tragedy, still the deadliest air crash in US history.
Like Flight 191, which fell from the sky moments after take-off from Chicago O'Hare, the UPS cargo jet, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and the DC-10's successor, plunged shortly after leaving the runway at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, exploding into flames and leaving devastation in its wake.
Officials confirmed that at least seven people were killed and 11 injured, with the death toll expected to rise as emergency responders continue to search through the smouldering wreckage. Governor Andy Beshear called the crash 'catastrophic', urging residents within a five-mile radius to shelter indoors as thick, toxic smoke billowed above the city.
The UPS Flight 2976
The doomed aircraft, operating as UPS Flight 2976, went down around 5:14 p.m. local time, slamming into two nearby businesses and igniting a fireball visible for miles. Three crew members were reportedly on board the cargo plane, though their condition remains unconfirmed.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have launched a joint investigation to determine what went wrong. Witnesses reported hearing a loud boom before seeing the jet nosedive into an industrial area moments after take-off.
UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 4, after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 was headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. The FAA and NTSB will investigate.…
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) November 4, 2025
In response to this evening's plane crash near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, FBI Louisville is on scene and providing assistance to first responders and our federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. As the National Transportation Safety Board is the… pic.twitter.com/DJdjYbdcWg
— FBI Louisville (@FBILouisville) November 5, 2025
Moment of Impact
Dramatic video footage captured the aircraft struggling to climb before suddenly pitching downward and crashing near the airport perimeter. The MD-11, believed to be carrying thousands of gallons of jet fuel, struck Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and a neighbouring auto parts business, setting off an explosion that sent flames towering into the sky.
Governor Beshear confirmed that two employees from Grade A Auto Parts remain missing. 'It may be some time before we can account for everyone or know that no one else was on the grounds,' he said.
Aerial footage showed a vast area engulfed in fire, with emergency crews battling the inferno through the night. Power outages were reported across parts of Louisville, including the nearby Ford Assembly Plant, while hazardous materials teams were deployed to manage burning industrial waste and aviation fuel.
NTSB is launching a go-team to investigate Tuesday’s crash of a UPS MD-11 cargo aircraft, Flight 2976 near Louisville, Kentucky.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) November 5, 2025
NTSB Board Member Todd Inman will serve as the on-scene spokesperson. The investigative team is scheduled to arrive in Kentucky tomorrow.
A media…
The news out of Louisville is tough tonight as the death toll has now reached at least 7, with that number expected to rise. First responders are onsite and working hard to extinguish the fire and continue the investigation. 1/3
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) November 5, 2025
Echoes of Flight 191
Within hours, social media lit up with comparisons to American Airlines Flight 191, the 1979 catastrophe that claimed 273 lives after a DC-10's engine tore away from its wing during take-off, severing hydraulic lines and causing a fatal stall.
The parallels were impossible to ignore. The MD-11 that crashed in Louisville is a direct descendant of the DC-10, a design that has carried a troubled legacy for decades.
'You are going to start seeing comparisons to American Flight 191,' one pilot wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 'The MD-11 is a derivative of the DC-10, but with many changes. It is not the same aircraft.'
Experts quickly pointed out that after the 1979 disaster, regulators required extensive design upgrades, including reinforced engine pylons and redundant hydraulic systems. Those improvements were meant to ensure that a single failure could never again bring down a plane so quickly.
You are going to start seeing comparisons to American flight 191. It was a DC-10 that crashed in 1979. The left engine detached from the wing on takeoff, resulting in a crash that remains the deadliest to have occurred in the United States.
— KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨✈️ B-737 Wrangler (@MCCCANM) November 5, 2025
The MD-11 *is* a derivative of the… pic.twitter.com/feotpDl30w
🚨BREAKING: New images out of Louisville International Airport following the crash of UPS Flight 2976 CONFIRMS my previous statements and prediction that the cause of crash was due to engine separation from the aircraft resulting in hydraulic failure and leading edge slat… pic.twitter.com/3tcnTMDWqz
— Cole Dodson (@ColeDodson1701) November 5, 2025
Investigators Urge Patience
While online speculation has pointed to possible mechanical failure, investigators have urged caution. The FAA said the UPS jet crashed moments after departure but did not confirm whether an engine problem was involved.
UPS issued a brief statement statement expressing devastation over the tragedy and promising to cooperate fully with investigators. 'We will work tirelessly with federal and state authorities,' the company said, adding that details would be released once families had been notified.
The NTSB is deploying a full investigative team to recover the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, though early reports suggest that severe damage to the crash site will complicate retrieval efforts.
For now, aviation experts warn against drawing premature conclusions. While the MD-11 shares the DC-10's lineage, it features major structural and safety upgrades that have significantly reduced risks of catastrophic failure.
Still, as Louisville mourns, the comparisons are impossible to ignore. For many, the terrifying sight of a jet falling from the sky over an American city has once again stirred the ghosts of Flight 191, a grim reminder of how fragile flight can be when fate and machinery collide.
