UPS Plane Crash in Louisville: Investigators Review Dramatic Video Footage
On November 4, 2025, a devastating plane crash occurred in Louisville, Kentucky, resulting in the loss of at least nine lives. The incident involved a UPS McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, which was attempting to take off from the airport. As investigators work to determine the cause of the crash, they are reviewing dramatic video footage from the scene, which appears to show the left wing of the plane on fire as it sped down the runway.
The footage, which has been widely shared, reveals flames emanating from the area where one of the plane’s engines would be located. Moments later, flames can be seen shooting from the engine located in the tail of the plane as it attempted to take off. Still images and aerial video footage also show the plane’s left engine sitting just off the runway, suggesting that it separated from the plane during the incident.
Cause of the Crash: A Complex Investigation
Federal authorities are working to secure the left engine, as well as the cockpit voice and data recorders from the wreckage, in order to piece together the events leading up to the crash. The data recorder, if intact, should provide investigators with a sense of how the 34-year-old converted airliner was operating in the moments leading up to the crash. The voice recorder, meanwhile, should reveal what the pilots heard and said during the doomed takeoff.
The MD-11 was designed to be able to take off without one engine, but losing two engines while approaching 200 mph and running out of runway to stop would have presented the pilots with a seemingly impossible situation to navigate. The plane would have been carrying up to 20,000 packages and roughly 255,000 pounds of jet fuel for its flight of eight and a half hours to Honolulu, making it a complex and challenging investigation.
Recovering the Black Boxes: A Crucial Step
The crucial voice and data recorders, also known as black boxes, are located in the tail section of the MD-11. These devices are designed to survive extreme temperatures and are typically made of hardened titanium or stainless steel with internal insulation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has a good track record of recovering data from badly damaged data and voice recorders, and investigators are hopeful that they will be able to retrieve valuable information from the devices.
The fire that engulfed the plane after the crash burned for more than an hour, putting the condition of the black boxes in question. However, the NTSB is working to secure the devices and transport them to their lab in Washington, D.C. for examination. For more information on the UPS plane crash in Louisville, click here.
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