NTSB probes – The NTSB has begun a two-day hearing into a deadly UPS cargo crash in Louisville, where investigators say structural fittings failed on a 34-year-old MD-11F after an engine-to-wing attachment bearing race cracked from fatigue. The case has turned on competing
The moment the UPS freighter lifted off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport last year, it didn’t just lose thrust—it lost an engine.
On November 4, UPS flight 2976, a cargo plane headed to Hawaii, crashed moments after taking off. Flames and wreckage spread for a half-mile. black smoke billowed into the sky. and a burst of destruction cut through the airport area. Fifteen people died. including the three crew members on the plane and one person who succumbed to injuries 51 days after the crash. Twenty-three people on the ground were injured.
Now, the National Transportation Safety Board has convened a two-day hearing to investigate what went wrong—starting with the part no one can afford to fail: the hardware that kept the left engine attached to the wing.
The NTSB chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy, opened the hearing by addressing family members of victims gathered Tuesday in the board room. “We issue safety recommendations … they are to be taken seriously,” she said. “Those recommendations are aimed, they’re comprehensive, they’re extensive, and they’re aimed at preventing another tragedy. If they’re not implemented … we will be here again.”.
The investigation has already identified a key failure point. The NTSB previously found that structural fittings that kept the engine attached to the wing failed on the 34-year-old jet.
The plane involved was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F with three engines—two mounted on the wings and one on the tail.
That hearing comes just days after the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the same type of aircraft to return to the skies. In the board room, witnesses that could help connect the dots were expected to include representatives of UPS, the pilot’s union, the FAA and Boeing.
During the hearing, the NTSB played an animation showing the engine-to-wing attachment design and how it failed.
Investigators described a chain reaction. The engine is attached to the wing by a mount containing a spherical bearing. known as a bearing race. held inside structural brackets called lugs. Investigators say the bearing race cracked from fatigue and split apart. That shift placed abnormal loads onto the lugs, which then fractured—allowing the engine to fall from the wing.
The central tension, pressed through testimony and the questions the NTSB intends to keep asking, is whether earlier warning signs could—or should—have triggered stronger action.
Investigators questioned whether the structural problems could have been caught earlier. The NTSB said there were nine reports of bearing race problems before the crash. Boeing analyzed those reports and determined the problems did not pose a safety issue. and the FAA did not require additional inspections.
The FAA’s Melanie Violette told the board: “There was a misunderstanding initially. 20 years ago. about the severity of the event that might result from failure of this bearing.” She added: “If broken. that bearing might cause some damage to the lug. but it was not believed to be critical to the integrity. the safety of the aircraft.”.
UPS, in turn, suggested it would have acted differently if the company had understood the bearing race issue could lead to more serious consequences.
A UPS representative testified that UPS would have taken action if it had understood the problem with the race could cause more serious issues. “We have a bearing fracture. and it slides out. it migrates a little bit. ” said David Springer. senior director of engineering and technical operations at UPS Airlines. “It’s not a big deal. The rest of the damage that was being caused was a big deal. I think if we would have known that at UPS. I think we would have asked a lot of different questions over the years.”.
The hearing also revisited what happened outside the cockpit.
At the end of the animation. an airport security video showed the engine separating and going up and over the wing before falling alongside the runway. The plane spewed fire and a dark trail of smoke on the runway as it descended. The MD-11F only got about 30 feet in the air before crashing into a warehouse. storage yard. and petroleum recycling facility just outside the airport.
Behind the scenes, the flight didn’t start as a direct trip.
According to NTSB documents. the over nine hour flight to Hawaii was originally meant to take place on a different plane. However, a fuel leak on the original aircraft was “discovered and reported to maintenance” during a routine pre-flight inspection. The airplane that ultimately crashed was assigned to the crew as a replacement.
After the crash, the response moved quickly through the aviation system. Three days after the crash, UPS grounded its MD-11 planes. The following day, the FAA grounded all MD-11 planes in the United States until inspections were completed. At the time of the crash, MD-11 aircraft made up approximately 9% of UPS’ fleet, the carrier said. FedEx and Western Global Airlines also flew the same type of aircraft.
Last week. the FAA approved Boeing’s protocol for returning MD-11 airplanes to service after an “extensive review. ” the agency told CNN in a statement. Boeing, which became the manufacturer responsible for the MD-11s since it bought McDonnell Douglas, provided inspection and repair instructions. Boeing “continues to provide technical support and guidance to help them meet FAA requirements,” a company spokesperson told CNN.
UPS announced it does not plan to fly its MD-11s any longer. FedEx has resumed some flights with repaired and inspected aircraft.
The crash’s bearing race issue didn’t stop at one plane. Following the grounding of MD-11 fleets, inspections revealed bearing race problems on three UPS MD-11Fs and one other, the NTSB said.
“Had we known more, we could have done more with this,” said Shannon Deckard, director of quality assurance at UPS.
Tuesday’s hearing lasted more than 10 hours, covering fleet safety processes, how anomalies found during maintenance are reported, the FAA and Boeing’s continued operational safety program and communications after problems are found.
Homendy also spoke about the impact beyond injuries and fatalities. “This accident, just like others, undoubtedly caused invisible injuries that aren’t reflected in the numbers we provide,” Homendy said. “Psychological and emotional trauma from being physically injured. witnessing an accident. or losing a loved one can have a profound impact on lives and livelihoods.”.
During this week’s hearing, more details are expected to be made public about what caused the crash. Investigators will review all previous maintenance. including overhaul work done for six weeks that the aircraft was out of service in September and October in San Antonio. Texas. The plane resumed flying for UPS less than a month before the crash.
The NTSB also plans to use information from the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to determine what the pilots said and how they reacted. Investigators will also probe what information UPS was required to report to Boeing and the FAA. the operational safety process. and engine attachment designs.
A final report from the NTSB is typically expected 18 to 24 months after an accident. The agency does not place blame; it determines what went wrong and provides recommendations to improve safety.
For the families who gathered Tuesday, the waiting has never felt like “later.” It felt like the beginning of an answer—one the system has already promised to prevent from happening again.
NTSB UPS crash Louisville MD-11F engine failure bearing race Boeing FAA aviation safety flight 2976 Homendy Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport