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Close Call: UPS Cargo Plane Avoids Collision
18 Apr
Summary
- UPS cargo jet aborted landing at Louisville airport.
- A smaller aircraft was present on the runway.
- No injuries or operational impacts reported by UPS.
A UPS Boeing 767 cargo jet, Flight 1303, aborted its landing at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport early Tuesday morning due to another aircraft on the runway. The jet, arriving from Atlanta, descended to approximately 500 feet before climbing to 1,500 feet as instructed by air traffic control.
Audio recordings revealed the controller's urgent commands, shouting "What are you doing?" to the smaller aircraft, identified as Skylab 25. The UPS spokesperson stated the go-around was conducted safely and according to standard procedures, with no injuries or operational impact.
This incident follows a fatal crash in November 2025 at the same airport, where a UPS MD-11 crashed after takeoff, resulting in 15 fatalities. The previous crash investigation cited a separated and burning engine as the cause.
