15th victim of UPS plane crash dies, according to Kentucky Governor Beshear
A 15th victim died from injuries sustained in the crash of a UPS plane at Kentucky’s Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Nov. 4, according to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
“I am saddened to share difficult news. Today we lost Alain Rodríguez Colina due to his injuries in the UPS plane crash, bringing our total loss to 15,” Beshear. published in X Thursday afternoon. “Let us pray for these families today and in the days, months and years to come so that they know they are not alone and that they are loved.”
Photos included in a National Transportation Safety Board report show the moment an engine fell off a UPS plane during takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 4, 2025.
National Transportation Safety Board
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 The plane was leaving Louisville and headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu when the crash occurred. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the plane’s left engine and left pylon separated. from the wing just as the plane took off, catching fire as it ascended and flew over the fuselage before hitting the ground.
A fire also started “near the area where the left pylon attaches to the wing, which continued until impact with the ground,” according to the NTSB preliminary report.
The plane only climbed about 30 feet before crashing in a fireball, hitting a storage yard and two buildings, according to the NTSB.
Upon post-accident inspection, the left engine pylon showed signs of fatigue cracks and excessive stress failure, the NTSB said.
In this photo provided by the U.S. Air National Guard, members of the Kentucky National Guard’s 41st Civil Support Team inspect the site of a fatal plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Phil Speck/U.S. Air National Guard via AP)
Phil Speck/AP
All three crew members on board and 11 people on the ground died in the crash, authorities said. Additionally, 23 people on the ground were injured, according to the NTSB.
The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded all MD-11 aircraft after the crash until they were inspected. There are about 70 MD-11s in service operated by UPS, FedEx and Western Global, according to Boeing, the plane’s manufacturer.
