Additional Coverage:
Louisville, KY – Federal investigators have released a series of stark photographs showing the dramatic moments an engine separated from a UPS cargo plane just before it crashed in Louisville two weeks ago, claiming 14 lives. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also revealed preliminary evidence of cracks in the left wing’s engine mount.
The six-photo sequence released Thursday depicts the rear of the engine detaching, then flying up and over the wing as flames erupted. Subsequent images show the wing engulfed in fire while the burning engine sails above it, with the final shot capturing the plane in its initial attempt to become airborne.
However, the MD-11 aircraft only achieved an altitude of 30 feet (9.1 meters) before the fatal crash, according to flight data recorder information detailed in the NTSB’s first formal, albeit preliminary, report on the November 4 disaster.
The tragedy resulted in the deaths of the three pilots on board, along with 11 individuals on the ground near Muhammad Ali International Airport.
The NTSB noted that the plane was not yet due for a detailed inspection of the fractured engine mount components, with nearly 7,000 more takeoffs and landings remaining before such an examination was required. Its last inspection was in October 2021.
“It appears UPS was conducting this maintenance within the required time frame, but I’m sure the FAA is now going to ponder whether that time frame is adequate,” former federal crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti told The Associated Press after reviewing the report.
All MD-11s Grounded for Now
The exact timeline for the development of cracks on the 34-year-old plane, and whether they could have been missed in the previous inspection, remains unclear. Aviation expert John Cox characterized fatigue cracks as “normal wear and tear on an aircraft,” explaining that metal parts, such as an engine mount that constantly vibrates during flight, will eventually develop cracks. Cox emphasized that the critical questions revolve around the frequency of inspections and the necessary maintenance protocols.
The NTSB report provided the first new details since board member Todd Inman’s briefing on November 7, where he mentioned that the cockpit voice recorder captured an alarm sounding approximately 37 seconds after the UPS crew initiated takeoff thrust.
“It’s one thing to be involved in a natural disaster and another thing to be involved in a man-made, human error tragedy, and that’s what we believe this is,” said Sean Garber, whose auto salvage yard near the airport suffered a direct hit and who reviewed the report.
Following the crash, all MD-11s operated by UPS, FedEx, and Western Global, along with a few related DC-10s, have been grounded pending inspection and repair. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has yet to specify the exact requirements for these actions.
Cox suggested that these air carriers “are going to have to make some hard decisions,” especially given their existing plans to retire these aircraft in the coming years. “If you have to pull the engines off and do some sort of visual inspection or replacement, that’s going to run into a significant cost,” he added.
MD-11 aircraft constitute about 9% of the UPS fleet and 4% of the FedEx fleet, according to statements from the companies.
UPS Awaits Crash Conclusions
Earlier this week, Bill Moore, president of UPS Airlines, stated that the company is collaborating with investigators to pinpoint the root cause of the crash.
“Once we determine that, then they’ll be able to develop an inspection plan,” Moore said at a Louisville news conference. “Can we inspect it?
If so, how do we repair it? How do we put it back together?
And then eventually return the fleet to service. But that’s not going to happen quickly.”
The NTSB report drew parallels to a similar incident in Chicago in 1979, when an American Airlines DC-10 – the predecessor to the MD-11 – crashed, killing 273 people. The report noted, “The left engine and pylon assembly and about 3 ft of the leading edge of the left wing separated from the airplane and fell to the runway.”
Former federal crash investigator Alan Diehl expressed his hope that the FAA will reevaluate plane maintenance schedules and consider advanced technological methods for examining metal, moving beyond solely visual inspections.
“It is clear that engine pylon attachment failures are these aircraft’s Achilles’ heels,” Diehl asserted.
According to annual statistics published by Boeing, the MD-11 and DC-10 have some of the highest accident rates among commercial planes.
Meanwhile, Louisville continues to mourn more than two weeks after the tragedy. The Louisville Orchestra presented a free concert Thursday evening, with Music Director Teddy Abrams noting, “Music brings comfort.”