LOUISVILLE, Ky. — FAA maintenance records reveal that the UPS cargo plane involved in the Nov. 4, 2025, fatal crash had previously undergone a crack repair on its left engine pylon in 2019.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), most of that pylon remained attached to the engine when it detached from the aircraft during its takeoff roll at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
Investigators noted similarities between this incident and the 1979 American Airlines Flight 191 disaster at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, where a DC-10’s left engine detached during takeoff, leading to a crash that killed 273 people. The DC-10 was the predecessor to the MD-11, the same model involved in the UPS crash. Improper maintenance was cited as a factor in the 1979 tragedy…