Engine fell off US cargo plane before deadly crash in Louisville, say officials

Smoke rises from the wreckage of a UPS MD-11 cargo jet after it crashed on departure from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville. (Image: Reuters)

As the death toll after the cargo plane crash in the southern US state of Kentucky rose to 11, investigators said the crash was caused by one of the engines catching fire and detaching during takeoff, AFP reported.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11, operated by package delivery giant UPS and bound for Hawaii, crashed at 5:15 pm (2215 GMT) on Tuesday, shortly after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

The freighter exploded into flames as it plowed into businesses adjacent to the airport, killing multiple people on the ground. A three-person crew was aboard.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called the tragedy "heartbreaking" and "unimaginable."

The death toll "is now up to 11. I expect it to reach 12, possibly by the end of the day," he said, adding that a search was underway for a "handful of other people" who are unaccounted for, AFP reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board sent teams to Louisville to investigate the accident. NTSB member Todd Inman told reporters that investigators had reviewed closed-circuit airport footage "which shows the left engine detaching from the wing during the take-off roll."

While the plane crashed and destroyed or damaged multiple buildings, leaving a fiery debris field nearly half a mile (800 meters) long, its left engine remained "on the airfield," Inman said.

He added that the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, known as a plane's black boxes, have been identified and will be sent to Washington for analysis.

Tuesday's crash reportedly was the deadliest in the global package delivery giant's history. Its main hub, Worldport, is in Louisville, where it employs thousands of people.

UPS has halted package sorting operations at its facility.

(With inputs from AFP)