Massive fireball erupts as UPS plane crashes at airport, leaving seven dead

A fireball erupts near airport property after reports of a plane crash at Louisville International Airport in Kentucky (Jon Cherry/AP)

A UPS cargo plane has crashed and exploded in a massive fireball while taking off from the company’s global aviation hub in Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least seven people and injuring 11, authorities said.

The plane crashed at about 5.15pm local time on Tuesday as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

Video showed flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke.

Plumes of smoke rise from the area of a plane crash at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky (Jon Cherry/AP)

The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball.

Video also revealed portions of a building’s shredded roof next to the end of the runway.

The death toll had risen to at least seven on Tuesday night, and four of those killed were not on the plane, officials said.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said he expects the death toll to increase.

Eleven people were also hurt, some of whom had “very significant” injuries, Mr Beshear said.

“Anybody who has seen the images, the video, knows how violent this crash is,” he said.

This photo provided by Brad Harvey shows thick, black smoke rising near Louisville International Airport, Kentucky (Brad Harvey via AP)

Mr Beshear said he did not know the status of the three crew members aboard the plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 made in 1991.

UPS’s largest package handling facility is in Louisville and the company announced on Tuesday night that it had halted package sorting at the centre and did not say when it would resume.

The hub employs thousands of workers, has 300 daily flights and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.

“We all know somebody who works at UPS,” Louisville Metro Council member Betsy Ruhe said.

“And they’re all texting their friends, their family, trying to make sure everyone is safe. Sadly, some of those texts are probably going to go unanswered.”

This photo provided by Chuck Fugate shows thick, black smoke rising after a plane crash at Louisville International Airport (Chuck Fugate via AP)

Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg said the National Transportation Safety Board is handling the investigation and sending 28 people.

The airport, meanwhile, was shut down and was not expected to resume operations until Wednesday morning.

“We don’t know how long it’s going to take to render that scene safe,” said Louisville police chief Paul Humphrey.

Pablo Rojas, an aviation lawyer, said that based on the videos it looked like the aircraft was struggling to gain altitude as a fire blazed on its left side around one of its engines.

Given the large amount of fuel it was carrying, once the fire started in that area, it would have been only a matter of time before there was an explosion or the fire grew rapidly, he said.

Members of law enforcement wear respirators near the area of the plane crash at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (Jon Cherry/AP)

“Really the plane itself is almost acting like a bomb because of the amount of fuel,” Mr Rojas said.

The governor said a business, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, appeared to be “hit pretty directly”, and a nearby car parts operation was also affected.

The Louisville airport is only a 10-minute drive from the city centre, which sits on the Ohio River bordering the Indiana state line.

There are residential areas, a water park and museums in the area.