A UPS cargo jet aborted its landing Tuesday at a Kentucky airport to avoid another aircraft on the runway, according to reports about a close call at the same airport where a deadly crash occurred months earlier.
An air traffic controller could be heard shouting, "What are you doing?" in audio of the incident, according to UPS Worldport is the company's largest package handling center in the world. The 5.2 million-square-foot hub serves as the center of UPS’ global air network.
The close call comes just months after a UPS cargo crash at the same airport that killed 15 people.
In November 2025, a UPS MD-11 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all three crew members and 12 people on the ground. National Transportation Safety Board investigators said the plane’s left engine separated shortly after takeoff and caught fire. The aircraft reached only about 30 feet above ground before crashing.
Surveillance footage showed the engine detaching from the wing before impact. Investigators found structural cracks in the engine mount that likely led to failure.
UPS grounded its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft after the crash, while the FAA ordered inspections and repairs for the model.
In a separate incident Thursday near Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, a small propeller plane landed in a field. Both people aboard were uninjured, according to WKYT.