UPS MD-11F Preliminary Accident Report in Louisville

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The NTSB presented the preliminary report of the MD-11F air accident UPS that took off from Louisville to Hawaii, which focuses on engine disengagement 1.

The 4 November 2025, A tragic plane crash took place at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), in Louisville, Kentucky. The cargo flight 2976 de United Parcel Service (UPS), a Boeing (McDonnell-Douglas) MD-11F, crashed shortly after taking off from runway 17R.

Preliminary report of the MD-11F of UPS

The National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSB) has issued a preliminary report detailing the initial facts and crucial findings, highlighting the in-flight separation of an engine and the subsequent crash of the aircraft.

The flight 2976 (MD-11F), honor (Honolulu (HNL), received its takeoff clearance around 17:11. The taxi and takeoff run were uneventful until rotation.

Engine separation in flight

• Airport surveillance videos showed that the left engine (No. 1) and its pylon separated from the wing shortly after the aircraft rotated for takeoff.
• The detached engine caught fire while flying over the fuselage and hit the ground..
• A fire started near the connection area of ​​the left pylon to the wing and persisted until the final impact..

Impact and trajectory:

• The aircraft initially climbed, but did not exceed 30 feet above ground level (agl) according to FDR data (until 100 agl feet according to ADS-B).
• The plane cleared the protective fence, but the left main landing gear impacted the roof of a UPS Supply Chain Solutions warehouse on the south edge of the airport.
• Subsequently, The plane hit a storage warehouse and two additional buildings, including an oil recycling facility, being largely consumed by fire.
• Witnesses reported that the rate of climb was not normal and that the aircraft lost altitude and began to tilt slightly to the left..

Research Findings and Component Analysis

The investigation quickly focused on the connection point of the engine pylon to the wing.

flight recorders

• Both the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) like FDR (Flight Data Recorder) were recovered and downloaded successfully.
• The CVR contains the complete recording of 2 hours and 4 minutes of the accident flight.
• FDR recorded approximately 450 parameters; recording ended at 17:13:30 EAST.

Pylon examination and assembly

• The left pylon and engine were found on or near runway 17R..
• Initial examination of the rear left pylon assembly (where it joins the wing) revealed fractures in the 'lugs’ (lugs) fixing.
• Testing at the NTSB Materials Laboratory found evidence of fatigue cracks in the rear left pylon assembly, in addition to areas of final overstress. Fatigue cracking was observed in three of the four lug fractures.
• The rear spherical bearing also fractured circumferentially.

• The aircraft accumulated about 92,992 hours and 21,043 cycles at the time of the accident.
• A detailed visual inspection of the rear left pylon assembly was last performed on 28 October 2021 (required each 72 months).
• The lubrication of the spherical bearings was carried out on 18 October 2025.
• Special detailed inspections (SDI) related to the 'lugs’ and wing support (scheduled to 29,200 and 28,000 cycles respectively) had not yet been done, since the aircraft had not reached those limits.

Immediate security actions

In response to the accident, Prompt regulatory action was taken due to the critical nature of the structural failure:

• UPS grounded its MD-11 fleet on 7 November 2025 as a precaution.
• FAA issued Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2025-23-51 the 8 November 2025, prohibiting the flight of the MD-11/MD-11F until inspection.
• Subsequently, Emergency AD 2025-23-53 was issued on 14 November 2025, including both MD-11 and DC-10 series, due to its similar pylon connection design.

Similar events

The report indicates the accident of the Flight 191 de American Airlines (DC-10-10) in Chicago on 25 May 1979, where the aircraft crashed after separation of the left engine and pylon during rotation. This similar event underscores a design concern historically associated with this family of aircraft..

The NTSB investigation into the flight 2976 UPS remains ongoing to determine the precise cause of the fatigue failure and the sequence of events.

You can read the full report here: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA26MA024.aspx

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