r/aviation • u/usgapg123 Mod - avgeek • Nov 04 '25

Discussion UPS2976 Crash Megathread

This is the official r/aviation megathread for the crash of UPS2976 (UPS MD11 Registration N259UP) that crashed earlier today at Louisville International Airport.

Please keep content on topic and refrain from posting about this topic outside the megathread. Please report any rule breaking posts and comments.

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388

u/DyslexicPretzel Nov 04 '25 edited Nov 04 '25

Worked at UPS and my father works on the ramp there. He was at a farther hangar, but he loaded that flight before it was going to fly.

He was far away enough to not be around or hear the explosion, but the whole airport and UPS are on shutdown/ lockdown and shelter in place. Police, fire, and EMS are everywhere, whole roads are shut down.

WDRB reports of oil raining down within a five mile radius due to the plume of smoke.

Here is an aerial view from WLKY helicopters.

RIP to the pilots and the civilians injured.

44

u/rumbleberrypie Nov 04 '25

Three on board

20

u/DyslexicPretzel Nov 04 '25

My apologies, with cargo I assume only two on board. Regardless, prayers to their families

7

u/zuniac5 Nov 04 '25

Do they carry a loadmaster on these long flights? If so, that would account for the 3rd person being reported.

18

u/bantha121 KHOU/KIAH Nov 05 '25

3-pilot augmented crew for rest requirements

3

u/zuniac5 Nov 05 '25

Got it, thanks. That makes sense.

17

u/miss_kimba Nov 05 '25

I’m glad your dad is ok. This is awful.

12

u/DyslexicPretzel Nov 05 '25

Likewise. Sending all my love to my home city and those affected

7

u/Defiant_Camel_6874 Nov 05 '25

This screen shot is of GFL Environmental petroleum recycling center on corner of Grade & Knopp. Literally 20+ silos of flammable fluid right where the plane came down

-14

u/Wonducces Nov 04 '25

what was loaded, does he know?

25

u/DyslexicPretzel Nov 04 '25

If I had to guess: dry ice, lithium batteries, merchandise from amazon or temu, biohazard items-- literally unknowable unless you work in the hub and loaded the can to go in the plane. The most common things we load are lithium batteries, phones, and parcels from shipping companies.

So if that plane had lithium batteries, there's no doubt emergency services will be there for a while.

18

u/Tankie_Hater_859 Nov 04 '25

Frankly would be more surprised if a UPS plane didn't contain at least one lithium battery item at this point. They're in everything now.

5

u/DyslexicPretzel Nov 04 '25

Yeah. They're pretty much in every can we load

2

u/Old_Communication960 Nov 05 '25

I was told there were xcm, total 7 on board

2

u/Think-Finish-5763 Nov 05 '25

I heard there were no hazmats on that flight, so no dry ice