Timeline: Flight data depicts UPS cargo jet’s final minutes before fatal KY crash

The UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville that killed at least 13 people and injured several others late Tuesday afternoon was a regularly scheduled flight the delivery and logistics company operates to Honolulu three days a week, according to public aviation data.

The wide-body, tri-engine McDonnel Douglas MD-11F arrived from Baltimore Tuesday morning and was scheduled to depart Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport at 3 p.m., Flightradar24.com records show. The jet didn’t begin moving down the runway until about 5:08 p.m., according to the real-time flight tracking software data.

It’s still unclear what caused the two-hour delay, but videos from the scene show the aircraft barreling down the Louisville international airport’s longest runway with its No. 1 left wing mounted engine in flames. Seconds later, after climbing just 175 feet off the ground, according to Flightradar24 data, the Boeing-made jet began careening toward an industrial park just south of the airport, where it impacted nearby buildings and exploded.

UPS Flight 2976 final moments timeline

Here’s what flight data tell about plane’s final moments:

• 5:02 p.m.: UPS Flight 2976 pushes back from a dock at the UPS Worldport near the center of the airport and begins traveling northwest on ramp 5S toward a taxiway.
• 5:07 p.m.: The cargo jet holds on ramp 5S near a ramp access road.
• 5:08 p.m.: The flight crosses taxiway C at the C1 intersection and begins taxiing northbound on taxiway B at 11 mph.
• 5:09 p.m.: Still traveling north on taxiway B, the cargo jet speeds up to about 23 mph for about a minute.
• 5:11 p.m.: As it nears the Louisville international airport passenger terminal and air cargo facilities at the north end of the airport, the jet slows and begins a runway turnaround near the threshold at runway 17R.
• 5:12 p.m.: The crew completes the runway turnaround maneuver turning south on runway 17R and begins accelerating up to 214 mph.
• 5:13 p.m.: Flightradar24 data show the aircraft rotating at a vertical speed of about 256 feet per minute at 211 mph and reaching 175 feet off the ground before suddenly reading zero feet of barometric altitude and vertical speed. Bystander videos show the plane taking off with the engine engulfed in flames before descending sharply to the left and hitting the roof of a UPS Supply Chain warehouse. The plane appears to roll along its length into a parking area before smoke and fire obscure the footage.

Crash response timeline

First responders quickly arrived on scene to control the blaze started by the aircraft loaded with 38,000 gallons of jet fuel.

Tuesday, Nov. 4

• 5:24 p.m.: The Louisville Metro Police Department says on X.com (formerly Twitter) it is responding alongside other agencies to reports of a plane crash.
• 5:36 p.m.: The Louisville Regional Airport Authority announces they are closing the airport. All flights are temporarily suspended.
• 5:38 p.m.: Louisville Metro Emergency Services issues a shelter-in-place order for all locations within 5 miles of the airport once first responders realize a petroleum recycling facility and auto parts business were damaged.
• 6:10 p.m.: The shelter-in-place order is extended to cover most of downtown Louisville. The order is revised multiple times through the evening as crews assess the damage and air quality in surrounding areas.
• 8:47 p.m. The National Transportation and Safety Board says it is launching a go-team to investigate the crash. Board member Todd Inman is named the on-scene spokesperson, and investigative units are expected Wednesday.
• 8:49 p.m.: Jefferson County Public Schools close through Wednesday.
• 10:03 p.m.: Airport authorities cancel all flights.

Wednesday, Nov. 5

• 6:36 a.m.: The shelter-in-place order is reduced to a quarter mile radius surrounding the crash site and partial airport operations resume on runway 11/29.
• 8:45 a.m.: UPS cancels operations at its Worldport facility.
• 11:52 a.m. Gov. Andy Beshear declares a state of emergency.
• Noon: The governor updates the fatality count to nine and says he is “confident” the death toll could increase more.

This story was originally published November 5, 2025 at 1:14 PM.

Austin R. Ramsey

Lexington Herald-Leader

Austin R. Ramsey covers Kentucky’s eastern Appalachian region and environmental stories across the commonwealth. A native Kentuckian, he has had stints as a local government reporter in the state’s western coalfields and a regulatory reporter in Washington, D.C. He is most at home outdoors.