Timeline: Flight Data Depicts UPS Cargo Jet’s Final Minutes Before Fatal KY Crash
As of Wednesday morning, at least 12 people have died following the crash at Louisville’s airport.
The UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville late Tuesday afternoon involved a regularly scheduled flight that the delivery and logistics company operates to Honolulu three times a week, according to public aviation data.
The wide-body, tri-engine McDonnell Douglas MD-11F arrived from Baltimore Tuesday morning and was scheduled to depart from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport at 3 p.m., Flightradar24.com records show.
The jet did not start moving down the runway until about 5:08 p.m., according to real-time flight tracking software data. The cause of this two-hour delay remains unknown.
Videos from the scene show the aircraft barreling down the airport’s longest runway with its No. 1 left wing-mounted engine in flames.
Seconds later, after climbing just 175 feet off the ground, the Boeing-built jet began veering toward an industrial park south of the airport, where it crashed into nearby buildings and exploded, according to Flightradar24 data.
First responders quickly arrived to control the fire caused by the aircraft, which was carrying 38,000 gallons of jet fuel.
This story was originally published on November 5, 2025, at 1:14 PM.
Summary: Data and eyewitness reports detail the UPS cargo plane’s delayed departure, engine fire, and crash at Louisville airport that tragically killed at least 12 people.