Horrifying video footage captured from multiple angles shows the devastating scale of the Kentucky air disaster that killed at least nine people last night.
The different videos shed light on how the tragedy at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport unfolded as investigators look to establish the cause of the crash.
Footage captured from different locations and angles show not only when problems began as the UPS jet, which making a long-distance journey to Hawaii, took off but also how an even larger tragedy was miraculously avoided when the plane crashed down in front of witnesses.
The video of the take-off is perhaps the most revealing.
It begins with the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 plane barely a few feet off the ground but with a large fire clearly visible at the front of the left wing, beside the fuselage.
The plane left a large trail of smoke behind it as it shakily took off. One person was heard saying: ‘Bro, hold on, hold on, I think it’s gonna crash.’
As the plane crashed into the ground, he said: ‘Holy s***!’
The video showed a massive plume of fire rising into the sky. The man filming said: ‘They’re dead. They are dead, bro’.
There were three crew members onboard the flight at the time, UPS officials have confirmed. But it is unclear whether the fatalities were members of the crew.
‘From the videos I’ve seen, I’m very concerned for them, but I’m still praying,’ Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s governor, said at a news conference Tuesday night. ‘It may be some time until we can account for everyone,’ he warned.
Shortly after taking off, the plane began its rapid crash into the ground.
FlightRadar24 data revealed the plane, UPS2976, made an incredibly short journey before it crashed.
Having taxied from the terminals of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, it had barely made it off the runway before slamming into the land in the southeast of the city.
It struck two local businesses – Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and Grade A Autoparts.
The actual crash was captured from multiple angles, each revealing the extent of the damage it caused.
Dash cam footage taken by a local driver showed the moment the plane cut across one of the businesses.
The on-fire plane careened across the car park of one business as a truck driver was sat inside.
Its wing disintegrated as it dragged itself across the ground, with a large trail of fire billowing behind it.
Multiple vehicles were consumed in the fire’s wake.
The terrified driver, still inside his vehicle, was heard screaming: ‘Holy s***! Oh, my f***ing God!’
The petrified man was seen leaving his vehicle as he witnessed the plane crash into the ground.
Surveillance footage captured another angle of the UPS plane as it crashed into the ground.
CCTV footage taken at a local business showed the ground shaking as the plane was forced downwards.
Coming in sideways, a frame-by-frame analysis showed the wing disintegrating as it travelled across the land.
A massive trail of fire following the plane’s path was seen rising into the air.
The UPS plane was fuelled with 38,000 gallons at the time, due to the lengthy trip to Hawaii – sparking a massive fire that spread to cover five miles.
A man in a large red truck that was parked just metres from the plane’s path of destruction was seen running from his vehicle in fear.
He was then seen climbing on top of another car, in an apparent attempt to get a better view.
A third clip, this time taken by a bystander, showed the plane cutting across the ground as it crashed in perhaps the most terrifying footage of the incident.
A massive line of fire was seen shooting upwards as the woman filming screams: ‘Oh, my goodness! Dios Mio!’
The driver of the car she was in could be seen rushing away from the danger.
Beyond the initial crash, chilling footage also revealed the extent of the fire damage it caused.
One clip laid bare the destruction caused by the explosion. A massive tower of smoke was seen rising up in the air, seemingly caused by the ignition of the 38,000 gallons of aviation fuel in the plane at the time.
The tar-black smoke spread across the Bluegrass state throughout the evening, with another clip showing just how widely it had spread from the airport.
Another showed the evening sun illuminating the ever-rising smoke that kept growing over Louisville.
The clip showed just how far the thick smoke had spread across the Louisville area.
The airport remained closed on Tuesday night, and those with scheduled flights on Wednesday are urged to check their flight status as travel chaos continues nationwide.
Those who found debris were also urged not to touch it and instead fill out a form.
Locals had reported hearing a loud explosion as the businesses were struck, with Louisville Metro Police spokesman Matt Sanders telling WDRB the department received 20 calls for service as debris fell out of the sky.
‘It fell out of the sky when I was working on the car, and that’s when we found out abut the crash,’ Justin Dunn told KKTV as he held up a piece of charred paper.
‘And then my son was like, “Hey look up in the sky” and it was coming down out of the sky when he picked it up.’
Witnesses also reported finding Hawaiian-style dresses that are believed to have come from the plane, according to WAVE.
‘There’s definitely debris all through here, probably within 10 miles,’ Dunn said.
Louisville Metro Police announced on social media that several agencies responded to the scene south of the airport as authorities urged community members to avoid the area.
They said it remained an active scene with ‘smoke and debris’, as they issued a shelter-in-place order which at one point covered much of the city.
‘Please remain away from the area until further notice,’ the police department urged as authorities secured the buildings.
Meanwhile, operations were halted at UPS Worldport, the company’s largest shipping and logistics facility globally, which processes two million packages each day, through Wednesday.
Employees who work on the company’s Next Day Air sort were even told not to report to work, the Louisville Courier Journal reports.
‘We are terribly saddened by the accident tonight in Louisville. Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone involved,’ the company said in a statement.
‘UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve,’ it added. ‘This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers.’
It added that it is ‘engaged’ with the National Transportation Safety Board investigation and are ‘staying in close contact’ with the FAA.
‘We will work tirelessly with state and local authorities on response efforts,’ the company vowed.
Amid the tragedy, Mayor Craig Greenberg said he and his wife, Rachel, are praying for the victims.
‘We have every emergency agency responding to the scene,’ he said on social media. ‘There are multiple injuries and the fire is still burning.
‘There are many road closures in the area – please avoid the scene.’
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also asked the public to ‘please join me in prayer for the Louisville community and flight crew impacted by this horrific crash.’
He added that the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA ‘are mobilizing to get on the ground and will lead the investigation’.
