A UPS cargo plane crashed just seconds after taking off from Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday, erupting into a fireball that swept across an industrial area near the airport.The aircraft was bound for Hawaii when it went down. Officials confirmed that at least 12 people died, while Kentucky’s governor warned that the death toll is expected to rise.The MD-11 freighter was bound for Honolulu, Hawaii, with three crew members on board.Here is what we know:What happened at Louisville?UPS Flight 2976 crashed shortly after taking off from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport at about 5:20 pm (22:20 GMT) on Tuesday.It climbed to an altitude of just 50 metres (164ft) before crashing less than 2km (1.2 miles) from the airport’s boundary and into an industrial area.According to reports, the aircraft veered off the runway and collided with several nearby structures. It was carrying 144,000 litres (38,000 gallons) of fuel when it crashed.“There’s very little to contain the flames, and really the plane itself is almost acting like a bomb because of the amount of fuel,” aviation lawyer Pablo Rojas told The Associated Press news agency.UPS and FedEx still use several MD-11 cargo jets, a model last built in 2000. The companies are gradually retiring the planes as they shift to newer, more efficient aircraft. Smoke and flames rise as a UPS cargo plane crashes in Louisville, Kentucky [Reuters]https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/0XMAZ/8/Where did the UPS flight crash?Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport sits about 11 km (7 miles) south of downtown Louisville, near the Indiana state border. Advertisement The airport is surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and is only a short distance from several local landmarks.The plane struck two businesses near t …
