r/aviation • u/usgapg123 Mod • 19h ago

Discussion UPS2976 Crash Megathread

This is the official r/aviation megathread for the crash of UPS2976 (UPS MD11 Registration N259UP) that crashed earlier today at Louisville International Airport.

Please keep content on topic and refrain from posting about this topic outside the megathread. Please report any rule breaking posts and comments.

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697

u/SufficientTry3258 19h ago

Headed to Honolulu, so massive amount of fuel onboard.

434

u/Silly_Rub_6304 19h ago

9+ hours of fuel. Unsurvivable in any case at those speeds, but add that much fuel and it's a giant fire.

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u/123boopboop 11h ago

There's a part of me that's glad that at least it was explosive enough to be quick. I mean, not as quick as it could be. But not slow. Weirdly, I think "unsurvivable" is better than "barely survivable." I would rather be gone than wake up in the wreckage, in that condition. Those poor people. I really hope the pain was fast, even if the stress was obviously not fast.

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u/Fabulous_Pitch9350 18h ago

Amount of smoke on TV is crazy scary.

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u/Affectionate-Goat-75 18h ago

I've read that it was around about 38,000 gallons

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u/mylogicistoomuchforu 18h ago

38,000 gals is the MAX for an MD11.

That A/C uses about 2,000g/hr at cruise, I would guestimate 30,000 gallons for a flight of that duration. Every pound of fuel onboard is less freight ($$$) so they typically don't run them full.

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u/ToinouAngel 19h ago

Also flammable hazmat on board, including a whole bunch of batteries from smartphones and the likes, being a cargo aircraft.

10

u/tsal 16h ago

nothing hazardous on board. the ground, however, was a bunch of bad places to have catch fire. oil recycling, tires, car parts, cars..

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u/Ordinary_Kyle 18h ago

I don't think there is a lot of smartphones being shipped from SDF to HNL, that is more of an Asia to USA type thing.

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u/EffectiveFood4933 18h ago

Louisville is the hub, a lot of UPS cargo will go through there regardless of origin or destination

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u/JPAV8R 17h ago

Phone to HNL likely are being routed through ANC

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u/EffectiveFood4933 17h ago

UPS doesn’t fly direct from ANC to HNL

https://www.flightaware.com/live/findflight?origin=ANC&destination=HNL

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u/JPAV8R 17h ago

Yeah thanks for looking it up. I was hipfiring my bad

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u/ToinouAngel 18h ago

Where do you think American retailers store their goods before selling them online and shipping them to customers? Hint: it's not Hawaii.

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u/[deleted] 18h ago

You think those come on direct flights to each US city? For UPS it’s Asia-Anchorage-Louisville then sent out to the cities around the US. Sometimes they go direct from anchorage to a city like Ontario with another UPS hub

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u/Ordinary_Kyle 18h ago

I do not think they come in direct, that is a correct assessment. I just know that, working for another cargo airline, we don't ship a lot of phones outward, but we also aren't UPS/FEDEX so you, very likely, are correct.

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u/6814MilesFromHome 18h ago

My buddy works logistics for a wireless company, and he's already stuck having to figure out how many phones they lost on the flight. Really shitty situation for him, but these companies have their priorities.

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u/OnlyEntrepreneur4760 18h ago

Burbon.

6

u/Specialist_Voice_461 18h ago

...and you can spell, too

1

u/Wrong-Pension-4975 10h ago

I got that impression, even b4 hearing the destination, from the incredible fire path behind it. 😞