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UPS says three crew members were on board

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Louisville mayor reports multiple injuries as a result of

crash

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Crash occurred shortly after it took off on flight to

Honolulu

(Adds details on fatalities, injuries in headline, paragraph 1,

2)

By David Shepardson and Chris Thomas

Nov 4 (Reuters) - At least three people were killed and

11 injured after a UPS wide-body cargo plane crashed in

Louisville, Kentucky, erupting into a massive fireball shortly

after takeoff, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on Tuesday.

"We believe we have at least three fatalities. I believe

that number is going to get larger," Beshear said at a press

briefing. "Anybody who has seen the images in the video know how

violent this crash is".

The plane had three crew members on board, according to UPS.

Television channel WLKY, a CBS affiliate, earlier showed

video footage of the crash as it occurred. The plane took off

with fire on one wing, and a huge fireball erupted as it hit the

ground. Several buildings in an industrial area beyond the

runway were on fire after the crash, with thick black smoke

rising into the evening sky.

"UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time on

Tuesday, Nov. 4, after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali

International Airport in Kentucky," the Federal Aviation

Administration said in a statement. The plane was en route to

Honolulu, it said.

Louisville Metro Emergency Services said it had issued a

shelter-in-place order for all locations within five miles (8

km) of the airport.

"There are multiple injuries and the fire is still

burning. There are many road closures in the area - please avoid

the scene," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a social

media post shortly before 7 p.m. ET (0000 GMT).

CRASH INVOLVED 34-YEAR-OLD PLANE

FAA records show the plane involved in the crash, an MD-11

freighter, was 34 years old. Boeing ( BA ), which shut down the

MD-11 program after acquiring it in its merger with McDonnell

Douglas, said it was concerned for the safety and well-being of

all those affected, and it would provide technical support to

the investigation.

Flightradar24 said the plane, which began operations with

UPS in 2006, had flown from Louisville to Baltimore earlier on

Tuesday before returning to Louisville. The flight from

Louisville to Honolulu typically takes 8-1/2 hours, the flight

tracking service said.

The aircraft climbed to an altitude of 175 feet and reached

a speed of 184 knots before making a sharp descent, according to

data from Flightradar24.

UPS said it had yet to confirm any injuries or casualties

due to the accident.

A National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said it

would be leading the investigation and it was sending a team to

the site.

The NTSB typically takes 12 to 24 months to complete an

investigation, make a finding of probable cause and issue

recommendations to help avoid similar incidents.

The Louisville airport is home to UPS Worldport, a global

hub for the delivery firm's air cargo operations and its largest

package handling facility in the world.

The Louisville airport said the airfield was closed after

the incident. The crash will likely disrupt deliveries for UPS,

and its major customers including Amazon ( AMZN ), Walmart ( WMT )

and the United States Postal Service. Walmart ( WMT ) and Amazon ( AMZN )

did not immediately respond to requests for comment.