A UPS cargo plane bound for Honolulu crashed shortly after takeoff from the company’s Worldport hub at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday, erupting into a massive fireball that killed at least nine people, officials said.
The plane crashed about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on social media that 16 families gathered at a reunification center "have reported loved ones unaccounted for.”
"This plane barely missed a restaurant bar. It was very close to a very large Ford plant with hundreds, if not a thousand-plus workers," Beshear told CNN. "It was very close to our convention center that is having a big livestock show that people were arriving for. So, really tough, but recognize it could be worse.”
He said a business, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, appeared to be "hit pretty directly,” and a nearby auto parts operation was also affected.
