The ongoing revelations about the story of the UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky Tuesday are not getting better; in fact, they’re getting more tragic and disturbing. The death toll has sadly climbed to 12, including a child, and there are numerous injuries, some of them severe. All three crewmembers have now been pronounced dead.

But another scary fact has emerged from a briefing by the National Transportation Safety Board: the left engine caught fire and fell off the aircraft just as it was completing its takeoff.

A UPS cargo plane's left wing caught fire and an engine fell off just before it crashed and exploded after takeoff from Louisville International Airport in Kentucky, a federal investigator said Wednesday, offering the first official details about a disaster that killed at least 11 people, including three on board.  

There was a fire in the plane's left wing and the engine "detached" during takeoff on Tuesday, said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation. 

Why exactly the wing would detach – every flyer’s worst nightmare – remains under investigation.

Gov. Andy Beshear expressed his condolences:

These are all children of God taken far too soon. Let's continue to pray for their families and loved ones during this heartbreaking time. 2/2

— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) November 5, 2025

Previously: UPS Cargo Plane Crash in Kentucky Results in at Least 7 Deaths, Gov. Beshear Responds

The United Parcel Service has also issued a statement expressing their sorrow.

We will release more facts as they become available at https://t.co/8Y3csuvvgZ pic.twitter.com/qfbiACQ3vY

— UPS (@UPS) November 5, 2025

The statement read, in part:

We are terribly saddened by the accident tonight in Louisville. Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone involved. UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers.

As more and more videos and photos emerge, the tragic scope of the disaster becomes ever more sobering (profanity alert):

WATCH: Dash cam video shows UPS plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky pic.twitter.com/dZdpus1fxu

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) November 5, 2025

The black box has been recovered, and although it is heat-damaged, it should give some clues as to what went wrong, according to NTSB Safety Board member Todd Inman.  

"We feel comfortable, once we get these to our lab in D.C., that we will be able to get a good readout of the applicable data," Inman said. "And that will be yet another point of information that will really help us understand what happened during this point of flight."

Rep. Morgan McGarvey (KY-03) said the scene looked like a disaster movie:

“The skies over Louisville looked apocalyptic last night. People scared all over our community, debris falling, ash falling, people sheltering in place – my family one of those families,” McGarvey said, adding the crash site looks like it could be a scene from a “Terminator” movie.

“It is burned and mangled wreckage beyond anything I’ve ever seen. The smells, the sights, these are things that are not going to escape us when we close our eyes tonight,” McGarvey said at a news conference.

'It looked like it was raining oil': Kentucky Congressman Morgan McGarvey called the immediate aftermath of the crash of a UPS cargo plane at Louisville's airport an "apocalyptic" scene.

The latest: https://t.co/sBRbo7BXVP pic.twitter.com/uvc67jLwV6

— WLWT (@WLWT) November 5, 2025

The situation is far from over, as doctors at UofL Health in Louisville, Kentucky, are describing serious burn injuries, shrapnel hits, and smoke inhalation issues in more than a dozen victims.

BREAKING: Aerial footage shows the UPS cargo plane crash near Louisville, Kentucky airport. Police confirm there are victims. pic.twitter.com/Qt7hNK84e5

— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) November 4, 2025

A limited number of flights have now resumed, but the regular flow is far from returning to normal as they’re down to one runway and there’s a severe backlog from the prolonged closure. RedState will keep you updated on this tragedy as new information emerges.