NTSB questions Boeing over UPS crash

The National Transportation Safety Board on May 19 and May 20 held a two-day investigative hearing in Washington into the Nov. 4, 2025 crash of United Parcel Service Flight 2976, a Boeing MD-11F that went down shortly after takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky. The NTSB said the jet, bound for Honolulu, was destroyed after impact, killing three crewmembers and 11 people on the ground; another person on the ground later died of injuries, bringing the death toll to 15. Twenty-three people on the ground were injured. The hearing became a public examination of what Boeing, UPS, the Federal Aviation Administration and other parties knew about earlier problems involving the MD-11’s engine-to-wing attachment system. Investigators focused on a spherical bearing and related lugs in the left engine pylon after the left engine separated during the takeoff roll in Louisville. (ntsb.gov) ### Which crash is this hearing about? United Parcel Service Flight 2976 crashed at about 5:14 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 4, 2025, shortly after departing Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport for Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, according to the NTSB. The aircraft was a Boeing, formerly McDonnell Douglas, MD-11F registered as N259UP. (ntsb.gov) Louisville was the site of the accident, not the destination. The jet impacted the ground shortly after takeoff, and NTSB materials include still images showing the left engine and left pylon separating from the wing. ### What exactly is the NTSB questioning Boeing about? Associated Press reporting from the hearing said investigators examined why Boeing did not address an underlying flaw sooner after earlier failures involving the same general component. (ntsb.gov) The NTSB had already said in a Jan. 14 investigative update that Boeing documented in 2011 four previous failures of a part that helps secure MD-11 engines to the wings, but at the time determined it “would not result in a safety of flight condition.” (ntsb.gov) Tuesday’s hearing also examined whether information about those earlier events was fully communicated to operators and regulators. UPS executive David Springer, who oversees aircraft maintenance and repair, said Boeing’s service letters made the bearing issue “sound almost benign” and did not describe the collateral damage that could affect the lugs attaching the engine to the wing. (cbsnews.com) ### What new pattern did investigators say they found? NTSB investigators said records showed similar flaws had been found on 10 other aircraft, most of which were not reported to the FAA, according to AP coverage carried by NBC Chicago and Louisville Public Media. The board’s questioning centered on why no one in government or industry identified that pattern and acted before the Louisville crash. (lpm.org) The Jan. 14 update had already raised related questions about maintenance intervals. The NTSB said cracks in the accident aircraft’s engine-mount parts had not been caught in routine maintenance, and the last close examination of those parts was in October 2021. ### Did the hearing surface anything else about the flight itself? (nbcchicago.com) Documents released at the hearing showed UPS switched aircraft hours before departure after a preflight inspection found a fuel leak on the first plane loaded for the Hawaii trip, according to AP reporting. The cargo was moved to the second aircraft, which then lost its left engine during the takeoff roll. (cbsnews.com) The NTSB also released more than 2,000 pages of documents as the hearing opened, according to AP reports. Those materials form part of the public docket for the investigation. ### What happens next in the case? The NTSB said the hearing is a fact-gathering step and that only board members, investigators, witnesses and designated parties can participate directly. (nbcchicago.com) The hearing docket, including factual reports, photographs and other materials, is available under investigation number DCA26MA024. The board’s final report is likely to take more than a year, according to AP reporting from the hearing. (nbcchicago.com) That report will determine the probable cause and may include safety recommendations for Boeing, UPS, the FAA and other participants. (ntsb.gov)