UPS plane crashes near airport in Louisville, Kentucky, officials say

Injuries were reported after a UPS plane crashed Tuesday near Louisville International Airport, officials said.

The Louisville Metro Police Department described the scene as active with “fire and debris,” warning residents to stay away from Fern Valley and Grade Lane, an intersection on the south side of the airport that serves as a UPS hub.

A shelter-in-place initially issued for a 5-mile radius around the airport has been extended to all areas north of the airport to the Ohio River, police said.

UPS said in a statement that it had been informed of an incident involving one of its planes, but did not immediately provide further details.

UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time after departing from Louisville Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane was headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii.

According to preliminary flight data from FlightRadar24, the plane appeared to reach 175 feet altitude briefly after takeoff. It was reportedly full of fuel for the flight to Hawaii, which likely led to the large fire seen from the helicopter at CBS affiliate WLKY.

The accident occurred at the location of UPS Worldport, an international air hub for parcel service.

The 5.2 million square foot facility processes more than 400,000 packages per hour and houses 20,000 UPS employees and operates 300 daily flights, according to the company.

This is a developing story and will be updated.