UPS cargo plane on fire during takeoff; crashed at Louisville, Kentucky. Not survivable.

Nov 4, 2025 11:22 PM

dixxienormus

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187306

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271

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6

nsfw

airsafety

Thanks for the crop

4 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 12

This is tragic

4 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

I wanted to make a Drump DEI joke. But nothing is funny about this, or trump. This is just sad

4 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Missed the exact moment of impact. Don't quit your day job camera guy.....

4 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Add that to the list of people I've seen die on the interwebs

4 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Who said cutting government regulation was a bad idea?

4 months ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 4

The problem isn't regulations for aviation but a shortage of FAA inspectors.

4 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I have questions and the article says it crashed 3 miles from the airfield which is total BS. But the question is why they didn't abort the takeoff when if they can't even rotate up and there's a fire?

4 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Nobody will know all the details until later. In any jet, after you reach V1 (a variable speed based on weight, atmosphere, runway length), you take off no matter what problem you encounter because trying to stop is guaranteed failure. At 140-170 knots it takes about minute to go 3 miles.

4 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Another view (warning: visible plane crash)

4 months ago | Likes 17 Dislikes 0

Holy shit

4 months ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Another view of the fire. https://x.com/TheInsiderPaper/status/1985848498353529005

4 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 3

dios mio indeed.

4 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

So you don't have to go to Twitter.

4 months ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

My package!!

4 months ago | Likes 15 Dislikes 35

Jeebus. People died.

4 months ago | Likes 22 Dislikes 5

Maybe tap the brakes on dumb humor a little.

4 months ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 5

+1 for dark humor, fuck these smoothbrain white-knight shitheads downvoting you.

4 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 3

Too soon?

4 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Im not sure locating a petroleum recycling facility at the end of a runway is a great idea.

4 months ago | Likes 99 Dislikes 2

That explains things. Steel beams.

4 months ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 3

sure but when the thing that caused the explosion also had 38,000 gallons of fuel on board I'm pretty sure the explosions gonna be big and bad regardless.

4 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Yeah. That spot is only for ammunition depots.

4 months ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

And anthrax storage.

4 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Christ! I thought you were making a bad joke, but shit, it's true.

4 months ago | Likes 58 Dislikes 0

Wait, seriously?!? I also thought it was a joke. I had heard that Kentucky was stupid, but holy crap, that’s like intentionally stupid!! And I’m from Florida! Stop making my state look smart by comparison!

4 months ago | Likes 20 Dislikes 0

I guess the planners and architect were big fans of Swat Kats.

4 months ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Unfortunately depending on what speed they were at in the takeoff process this outcome might have been inevitable. That is there is a point where slamming the brakes on may still end in a boom as you exit the airport perimeter on what is left of the landing gear.

4 months ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 0

We calculate against that exact situation.

4 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Respectfully disagree. V1 - decision speed - is the speed AFTER which an emergency stop cannot be completed within the remaining runway available. This is a specific speed (somewhere around 120 kts for a large aircraft) based on many factors to include runway length, condition, slope, temperature, aircraft performance, etc. Generally speaking, a catastrophic failure (an engine fire is a good one) PRIOR to this speed should be rejected and runway remaining should be sufficient (1/2)

4 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

to stop the aircraft. Failures that occur above V1 (airplane is still on the runway at this point) should be considered an IN FLIGHT emergency because you're going flying. We train for this regularly but it's nigh impossible to predict how any one person will react in an actual emergency. Weather the fire occured prior to V1 is unknown. What is clear, it seems, is that the aircraft did not produce sufficient lift to sustain flight; a feat it can certainly do with only 2 of its 3 engines. (2/2)

4 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

An engine catching on fire is probably going to have some power issues before they get to the RTO point of no return though. Those runways for UPS are plenty long too for heavily loaded aircraft so I gotta think this is pilot error not paying attention to the instruments when the problems began. It'll come out in the FAA report in a year or so but tragic any way you cut it.

4 months ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

lol, are you a Boeing exec?

4 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

no, just I know a little about the subject having worked for a wheel and brake overhaul shop in Louisville and even working on some UPS equipment when they were short staffed once. There's a point about half way down the runway where you can reject the takeoff. I find it very hard to believe there wasn't any indication something was wrong the some 10-20 seconds prior to the crash where the engine would have been on fire because they clearly didn't have the speed to rotate up and climb. *shrug*

4 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

maybe if the engine fell off? That could happen at any time and if happens after v1 it's over.
Your appeals to your own experience don't help your argument, either.

4 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

No. The end of the runways are deep gravel pits specifically designed to stop an aircraft of tremendous weight traveling at high speed. The pilot probably didn't know he had lost an engine, even though he should have, and should have cut power and braked instead of ascending.

4 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 10

Idk about if the pilot should have pivoted or not, but you are correct about some runways having the stop pits for runaway planes. Idk if all runways have that though.

4 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineered_materials_arrestor_system

It's not a deep pit of gravel (as someone said) and you are correct, not all runways have EMAS. We also do not consider EMAS in our calculations.

4 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

You know little about aviation. And, boy howdy, it's WAY too early to start Monday morning quarterbacking this one!

4 months ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

I am a private pilot and have been playing flight sims for over 20 years. There are photos of one of the engines sitting in the middle of the runway, meaning it fell out before the pilot took off.

Now there's not really a "hey your engine just fell off" alert on the flight deck, but there are half a dozen alarms that would have gone off when that happened. The crew had time to know something was wrong, but they didn't do anything about it. There was time to abort the flight, but they didn't.

4 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 2

EMAS is not a deep gravel pit. And not all runways have them.

Regardless of your experience or mine, I'm sure as HELL not going to impugn my fellow High Speed Metal Tubers before anything other than the official report comes out. Nor should you.

4 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

EMAS isn't just one design of special concrete and a runway for commercial cargo planes would have one, and regardless of that pulling up on the stick when you have flame out and pressure alarms squaking is just stupid, it's a lot better to impact something after slowing down on the ground than it is to impact it belly first after taking off.

4 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

How many souls on board?

4 months ago | Likes 36 Dislikes 1

But did my package survive?

4 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 29

4 would be my guess for a long haul flight. I think UPS eliminated dead head after either 9/11 or the Fedex incident. So should have been nobody other than flight crew.

4 months ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 1

Article says 3 at the moment. Unknown if they survived. That fireball doesn't look promising.

4 months ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 1

2 to 4, cargo jet

4 months ago | Likes 20 Dislikes 2

A day later, and I think the total is up to 9 dead.

4 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Confirmed 7 dead.

4 months ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

3. No confirmed deaths yet.

4 months ago | Likes 35 Dislikes 3

4 confirmed deaths so far.

4 months ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 1

Another article says 7 dead.not going to have a solid number for a day or two I would think.

4 months ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

2 gingers...

4 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 37

The fuck is wrong with you

4 months ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 1

just the crew i assume, for a cargo jet that's no more than 4

4 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

it crashed into a commercial area though (buildings!) hopefully no one was around

4 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

4 fatalities and 11 injuries on the ground.

4 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

A cargo plane - just 2 pilots and any stowaways.

4 months ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 6

3 per the article

4 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Now 7 confirmed dead. Obviously some on the ground.

4 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I thought you were talking about flight crew

4 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Initially everyone was. Passengers/cargo plane? Right now, as more info comes in - the official toll is 7 - so some were at the crash zone and coped it.

4 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0