Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F accident near Louisville, KY
On November 4, 2025, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F (airplane) was involved in an accident near Louisville, KY. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 4, 2025
- Place
- Louisville, KY
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.147°N, 85.734°W
- NTSB ID
- 20251104201958
Official records · DCA26MA024
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
- Investigation page: status, final report and safety recommendations
Air traffic control records
- 3c - ATC Specialist's Factual Report Attachment 2 - Sdf ATC Audio Recording (Tower Controller In Charge Position): Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
- 3d - ATC Specialist's Factual Report Attachment 3 - Sdf ATC Audio Recording (TRACON Controller In Charge Position): Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
- 3e - ATC Specialist's Factual Report Attachment 4 - Sdf ATC Audio Recording (Local Control East Position): Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
- 3f - ATC Specialist's Factual Report Attachment 5 - Sdf ATC Audio Recording (Ground Control Position): Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
- 3g - ATC Specialist's Factual Report Attachment 6 - Sdf ATC Audio Recording (Ground Control East Position): Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
On November 4, 2025, about 1714 eastern standard time (EST), United Parcel Service (UPS) flight 2976, a Boeing (McDonnell-Douglas) MD-11F airplane, N259UP, was destroyed after it impacted the ground shortly after takeoff from runway 17R at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), Louisville, Kentucky. The 3 crewmembers aboard the airplane and 11 people on the ground were fatally injured. There were 23 others on the ground who were injured. Flight 2976 was a domestic cargo flight operating under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 from SDF to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Honolulu, Hawaii. In response to the accident, the NTSB traveled to SDF on November 5, 2025, and started the process of documenting the accident site, and collecting the perishable data necessary for the investigation. As part of the investigative process, the NTSB invited qualified parties to participate in the investigation. These included the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), UPS, The Boeing Company, Independent Pilots Association (IPA), General Electric (GE) Aerospace, and Teamsters Airline Division. The parties were formed into specialized investigative groups led by NTSB group chairmen in the areas of Structures, Systems, Powerplants, Maintenance, Air Carrier Operations and Human Performance, Hazardous Materials, Aircraft Performance, Materials, Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), and Flight Data Recorder (FDR). A NTSB Air Traffic Controller (ATC) specialist was on site to collect ATC information, but an ATC group was not formed. NTSB Board
From Wikipedia
UPS Airlines Flight 2976 was a scheduled domestic cargo flight in the United States from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, to Honolulu, Hawaii. On November 4, 2025, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 operating the flight sustained a separation of its left engine during its takeoff roll and crashed into an industrial area seconds after liftoff from the runway, at about 5:13 p.m. local time (22:13 UTC). The crash killed all three crew members on board the aircraft and twelve people on the ground.
The accident is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. Following the accident, UPS retired its remaining MD-11 fleet in January 2026.
Text from Wikipedia, “UPS Airlines Flight 2976”, CC BY-SA 4.0; shortened to the introduction. Authors.
More accidents in KY
- Bombardier, Inc. CRJ-100, Aug 27, 2006
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Browse: Kentucky · Mcdonnell Douglas aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
