Federal safety investigators have commenced two days of hearings into last year's fatal UPS cargo plane crash, which claimed 15 lives. The inquiry aims to determine why an engine detached from the aircraft and whether Boeing failed to address an underlying flaw in a timely manner.
Crash Details
The engine separated from the MD-11's wing as it accelerated down the runway at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport last November. The crash killed three pilots on board and 12 individuals on the ground, with additional injuries reported.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), addressed victims' families in her opening remarks: "Please know: Your loved ones are the reason we're here. We want to find out what happened."
The hearings, involving NTSB staff, Boeing, UPS, labour unions, and other parties, will conclude on Wednesday. A final NTSB report is not expected for over a year as investigators examine every potential factor.
The Crash
The UPS plane, bound for Hawaii and laden with packages and fuel, barely cleared the airport fence before crashing into several nearby Louisville businesses, creating a massive fireball.
Dramatic photos released by the NTSB after the crash depicted the engine detaching and flying up and over the wing as flames erupted. The final images show the plane ablaze as it briefly becomes airborne, leaving trails of smoke.
All MD-11s and DC-10s, a predecessor aircraft, were grounded after the crash. NTSB investigators stated Tuesday that similar part flaws were found in three other UPS planes and a DC-10.
The Louisville disaster echoed a 1979 crash in Chicago involving a DC-10, where the left engine also fell off, killing 273 people and leading to the worldwide grounding of 274 DC-10s. That aircraft returned to service after the NTSB determined maintenance workers had damaged the plane while improperly using a forklift to reattach the engine, meaning the crash was not due to a fatal design flaw, despite prior accidents involving DC-10s. However, McDonnell Douglas, the plane's manufacturer, had raised concerns about the spherical bearing that helps hold engines to wings. McDonnell Douglas later merged with Boeing.
Past Problems with These Planes
The NTSB said shortly after the Louisville crash that investigators found cracks in some parts holding the engine to the wing. These cracks were not detected during regular maintenance, raising questions about the adequacy of the maintenance schedule. The last detailed inspection of those key engine mount parts occurred in October 2021, and the plane was not due for another for roughly 7,000 more takeoffs and landings.
Boeing had documented in 2011 four previous failures on three different planes of a part that helps secure the MD-11's engines to the wings, but at that time, the manufacturer "determined it would not result in a safety of flight condition." The service bulletin Boeing issued did not require repairs like an FAA airworthiness directive would, and the agency did not issue such a directive. Boeing merely recommended replacing the bearings with a redesigned part less likely to fail.
MD-11 Planes Flying Again
Some MD-11s, a workhorse of the cargo fleet, are now back in the air after the FAA approved Boeing's plan to replace the spherical bearing on each aircraft and increase inspections. FedEx resumed using the planes on May 10, but UPS plans to retire its MD-11 fleet. Western Global, which also operates MD-11s, has not announced its intentions.
Experts speculated after the crash that the MD-11s might never fly again if repairs proved more expensive than worthwhile for these older planes. However, Boeing stated it found a way to address safety concerns simply by replacing the bearing and stepping up inspections.
