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Faulty Part Eyed in Deadly Kentucky UPS Plane Crash, NTSB Reveals
Louisville, KY – New findings from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicate a faulty part, previously flagged by aerospace giant Boeing 14 years prior, was a critical factor in last year’s tragic UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky. The November 4 incident claimed 15 lives and stands as the deadliest disaster in UPS Airlines’ history.
The part, detailed in an updated NTSB report released January 14, had a history of failure, having malfunctioned on four previous occasions.
UPS Flight 2976, bound for Hawaii, erupted into a fiery inferno shortly after taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport at approximately 5:15 p.m. The Boeing MD-11F aircraft plummeted into an industrial area, resulting in the deaths of all three crew members onboard and 12 individuals on the ground. Additionally, nearly two dozen bystanders suffered injuries.
The NTSB’s six-page updated report specifically states that Boeing was aware of issues concerning the flagged part on the ill-fated aircraft.
Boeing’s Prior Knowledge of Pylon Cracks
A February 2011 letter from Boeing to airlines detailed failures with pylon components – the structural framework connecting the engine to the wing – in four separate incidents involving three MD-11 airplanes, the same model as UPS Flight 2976. The report clarifies that following takeoff, the pylon and left engine of UPS Flight 2976 detached from the wing, leading to the catastrophic crash.
Boeing’s earlier study of MD-11 planes revealed fatigue cracks on the pylon, strikingly similar to those reported by NTSB investigators in their preliminary findings of the November 4 crash. Following this study, Boeing committed to updating its maintenance manual to include inspections designed to ensure the continued functionality of the spherical bearing race, the component exhibiting cracks.
NTSB officials are currently scrutinizing Boeing’s inspection techniques for its MD-11 fleet, how UPS integrated the information from Boeing’s letter into its own operational practices, and the “correspondence history between Boeing and the FAA leading up to issuance of the Service Letter and thereafter.”
The crash and subsequent fires significantly disrupted operations at the UPS Worldport facility, causing delays in delivery services. A final NTSB investigatory report on the UPS crash is anticipated within the next two years.