Final moments before UPS plane crash detailed
The UPS cargo plane crew tried to control the plane for about 25 seconds before boarding. crashed The plane burst into flames shortly after taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky on Tuesday, killing the three pilots and at least 10 people on the ground, authorities said Friday, citing preliminary information.
A National Transportation Safety Board official detailed the final moments in the cockpit of the UPS plane based on a review of audio from the cockpit voice recorder.
Jon Cherry/AP – PHOTO: Smoke and flames rise from the crash site of a UPS cargo plane outside Louisville International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 4, 2025.
Official Tom Inman said the crew completed the standard checklist and briefing and the takeoff went smoothly.
“Approximately 37 seconds after the crew called for takeoff thrust, a repetitive chime was heard on the cockpit voice recorder,” Inman said at a news conference Friday.
He said the ringing of the plane believed to have crashed “continues until the end of the recording, 25 seconds later.”
Kentucky Truck Parts and Service, via Reuters – PHOTO: Smoke and flames billow when a UPS cargo plane crashes in Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 4, 2025.
“During this time the crew was busy trying to control the aircraft before the accident,” he said.
Inman added that the bell may have signaled a fire, as seen in the footage of the incident, but he did not want to speculate too much.
“F.D.R. [flight data recorder] “The data and their examination by groups will give us much more detailed information and can help us draw a better picture,” he said.
The death toll from the UPS plane crash at Louisville airport increased to 13: Officials
He said the NTSB will work to prepare a written transcript of the cockpit voice recorder audio, which will likely be made public in a few months.
Officials said UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday. According to the NTSB, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo plane was en route to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu when the plane’s left engine separated after a “large fire cloud” emerged from the plane’s left wing.
NTSB – PHOTO: Aerial view provided by NTSB of the crash site of a UPS cargo plane at Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, November 6, 2025.
When the engine separated from the wing, most of the left engine pylon was still attached to the left engine, Inman said. Both components are subjected to further examination in a secure facility.
The NTSB said it found additional parts of the engine attachment in the grass near the runway. Investigators will conduct another sweep with a metal detector later Friday.
At least 13 people were killed and nine people believed to have been near the scene at the time of the crash were missing, authorities said Thursday.
Crews searched half a mile of charred wreckage to find any other victims in the crash.
