The image is part of the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report released on November 20th.
Federal investigators have released a preliminary report into the UPS cargo plane crash that killed 14 people in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this month, finding that the hardware used to hold one of the plane’s engines in place showed signs of fatigue and “failure due to overload.”
In a report released Nov. 20 by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), investigators said they “found evidence of fatigue cracking in addition to areas of overstress failure” in the attachment that connects the plane’s left engine to the wing.
Investigators said the hardware was last inspected in October 2021, and no re-inspections were scheduled for the approximately 7,000 flights. The report does not say what caused the crack in the engine mount.
UPS Flight 2976 burst into a ball of fire while taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 4, crashing into an industrial area across the runway.
The accident killed 14 people, including three crew members, and injured another 23. It was the deadliest air disaster in UPS history.
As a result of the accident, federal authorities temporarily grounded all McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft and nine additional models similar to the MD-11.
The report revealed that the decades-old plane was flown by an experienced pilot and met several inspection requirements. Investigators also noted similarities to a 1979 crash in which the plane’s left pylon and engine separated from the wing, killing nearly 300 people.
The NTSB plans to provide a possible cause and issue safety recommendations in its final report, which could take more than a year to complete, the agency said.
UPS said in a Nov. 20 statement that it “continues to mourn the lives lost in the tragic accident of Flight 2976,” adding, “We appreciate the National Transportation Safety Board’s prompt release of its preliminary findings and will fully support the investigation as it concludes.”
UPS crew had experience with MD-11, report says
An NTSB investigation revealed that the UPS Airlines crew on board the plane was familiar with the MD-11.
Captain Richard Wartenberg, who was overseeing the flight, was certified to fly the MD-11 and had “approximately 8,613 hours of cumulative flight time reported to the FAA.” 4,918 of those hours were in the MD-11.
The pilot determined to be flying the plane, First Officer Lee Truitt, had nearly 1,000 hours of flying experience in the MD-11, according to the report.
The relief officer, Captain Dana Diamond, was the most experienced pilot on the crew, with approximately 15,250 hours of total flight experience reported to the FAA, including 8,775 hours in the MD-11.
UPS disaster shares similarities with 1979 Chicago disaster
In their report, investigators drew comparisons between the Louisville crash and the 1979 DC-10 crash in Chicago, where the left pylon supporting the engine came loose and pulled hydraulic lines, killing nearly 300 people.
In the 1979 crash, the left engine and pylon, as well as part of the left wing “leading edge” separated from the plane and fell onto the runway, eventually causing the plane to crash into a field.
An NTSB investigation into the 1979 DC-10 crash found that human error by maintenance personnel likely contributed to the fatal crash.
The NTSB investigation into the UPS plane crash is ongoing.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Contributed by Olivia Evans and Matthew Glowicki, Louisville Courier Journal
