Dozens of air safety investigators are scheduled to arrive in Kentucky on Wednesday in the wake of a UPS Cargo Fire
At least 28 National Transportation Transportation Poard Agents will begin looking for clues about the possible cause of the Louisville Ali International Airs disaster on the ground and a large plume of black smoke.
The plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, had three crew members on board and crashed at around 5.15pm local time on Tuesday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It is bound for Honolulu.
Today, seven deaths and 11 injuries have been reported, although Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s governor, says he expects the death toll to rise. The Health Hospital system said it treated 10 patients related to the crash, two of which were in critical condition at the hospital’s burn center.
Four of those killed were not on the plane, said Brian O’Neill, the Louisville Fire Department Chief.
Hundreds of firefighters are dealing with fires burning on the ground after the crash, although local leaders will not report the response to the incident.
“We’ve put together a form where residents can report litter in your yard,” Craig Greenberg, the Mayor of Louisville, posted on X. “We’re asking for X.” We ask that residents do not touch yourself. “
Investigators will work to determine how a seemingly routine flight — the UPS HUB in Louisville has 300 flights a day — went so badly. Officials said there were no hazardous materials on the plane.
Videos taken by onlookers showed flames on the plane’s left wing, with the aircraft then taking off from the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball. Nearby residents reported hearing loud booms and witnessing flames in the sky and on the ground.
The cost of airplane fuel will make a huge explosion almost inevitable, Pablo Rojas, an aviation lawyer, told the Associated Press. “There were very few flames and in fact the plane itself almost acted like a bomb because of the amount of fuel,” he said.
The plane’s videos appear to show the engine from before the final impact, parts, Mary Schiavo, a former transportation department, told CNN.
“[The parts] Discharge from that engine, and the centrifugal force from the engines, the blades that enter, and they can cut the plane and cut the fuel lines, “as the engine of fuel,” that engine that is consumed in the first plane. The poor pilots are helpless at that point. “
Several flights were canceled or delayed at the airport following the crash. A containment zone surrounding the airport has now been reduced to a quarter-mile radius around the crash site.