UPS MD-11F Crashes

Some sad news coming out of the United States with a UPS MD-11F crashing just moments after departure from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. The freighter operating UPS Flight 2976 was scheduled to be a routine service through to Honolulu in Hawaii. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the aircraft crashed just after 5 p.m. local time following departure from runway 17R, going down just south of the airport perimeter. Upon impact with the ground, smoke and flames could be visible from miles away as captured in videos, imagery and live broadcasts. The area where the jet was going down, known for its sprawling industrial precinct, as is what is familiar with many other airports right around the world. Details on the cause of the incident, obviously, are going to be scarce and I'd encourage you to not speculate down below in the comments until thorough investigations can occur so we are able to then prudently determine what led to this incident. This all very raw and fresh at the moment. Videos from the airport recorded by witnesses show the aircraft and what appears to be the left-hand engine engulfed in flames during what was just a routine takeoff. Additionally, those same videos show the MD-11 appearing not to gain altitude during takeoff, which would be typical for a regular departure, and then shortly after this, the plane bursting into flames upon impact with the ground. Flightradar24 data said that the last signal from the aircraft was received at 5.13 p.m. local time, showing the plane travelling at 184 knots on ground level. In a statement, UPS said that there were three people aboard the aircraft. The MD-11F that was involved in this incident was registered as N259UP. It was first delivered in 1991, but it was not to UPS. See, this is an aircraft that first operated passenger services with Thai Airways under the registration of HS-TME. The Thailand-based carrier saw this aircraft in its operations for 15 years and withdrew from their operations in February 2006. Instead of this aircraft heading to the scrapyard following the withdrawal, the aircraft was then acquired by UPS where it began a freighter conversion, being finally delivered to the U.S. company on the 29th of June 2006. Since then, and nearly now for the last two decades, the aircraft has flown continuously with UPS at the time of the incident, the plane at 34.4 years of age, and in terms of its operations across the 4th of November, the day of the accident local time, it operated between Louisville and Baltimore on a return flight before then being prepped for this service through to Honolulu. The MD-11, obviously an iconic aircraft in the aviation industry, and it is also one that has been a staple across the United States, primarily seen with UPS and FedEx. Still to this day, it's crucial for freight transportation. Certainly tragic news to say the least. I will do my best to keep you updated wherever possible. I hope you're taking care and please, as always, stay safe.