UPS says Boeing steering led provider to not undertake enhanced MD-11 inspections earlier than deadly crash

UPS stated it relied on Boeing’s evaluation {that a} recognized engine mount difficulty didn’t pose a flight security threat when it selected to not undertake enhanced inspections earlier than final 12 months’s deadly cargo aircraft crash in Louisville, in line with newly launched Nationwide Transportation Security Board filings.

In its post-hearing submission to the NTSB, UPS stated it adopted all required Boeing and Federal Aviation Administration-approved upkeep packages for its MD-11 fleet. 

The corporate stated Boeing’s 2008 and 2011 service letters described the difficulty as not a “security of flight” situation and said that present inspection intervals have been ample to establish issues involving the engine mount’s spherical bearings.

UPS Flight 2976, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo jet sure for Honolulu, crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali Worldwide Airport on Nov. 4, 2025, after its left engine and pylon separated from the plane. 

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Three crew members and 12 individuals on the bottom have been killed, whereas 23 others have been injured. The NTSB has not but launched its last report on the accident.

UPS stated it reviewed Boeing’s service letters and integrated revisions to the plane upkeep guide, however didn’t alter its upkeep program. They stated this was as a result of Boeing additionally concluded the difficulty was not safety-related and by no means up to date its Upkeep Planning Doc (MPD), which operators use to determine required upkeep schedules. 

In accordance with UPS, Boeing’s failure to revise the MPD indicated that no further upkeep duties have been mandatory past these already being carried out.

Smoke rises from the positioning of a UPS cargo aircraft crash close to the UPS Worldport at Louisville Muhammad Ali Worldwide Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 4, 2025. (Leandro Lozado/AFP by way of Getty Pictures / Getty Pictures)

Boeing, in its personal submitting with investigators, stated it reviewed an operator report involving a failed spherical bearing in 2008 and decided, based mostly on the knowledge accessible on the time, that the difficulty was not a security concern. 

The corporate stated it issued a service letter recommending enhanced inspections of the bearing and later revised the plane upkeep guide to incorporate an inspection process designed to detect bearing motion.

Boeing additionally stated plane operators are liable for sustaining their fleets in coordination with regulators, noting that its upkeep planning paperwork and manuals present suggestions that operators use to develop their very own upkeep packages.

Black smoke may very well be seen close to the Louisville Muhammad Ali Worldwide Airport. (Credit score: X/@WT_Mason)

UPS additionally argued that Boeing’s Continued Operational Security course of didn’t establish the broken bearing and associated structural harm as a flight security difficulty. The provider stated upkeep data for the plane confirmed no proof that the spherical bearing had migrated earlier than the crash and argued testimony in the course of the NTSB listening to established that bearings might fail with out seen motion.

Each Boeing and UPS stated of their NTSB submissions that they’ll proceed cooperating with the investigation. Boeing stated it has since labored with the FAA on up to date inspection and upkeep procedures, developed a redesigned spherical bearing with a 4,000-flight-cycle life restrict and carried out adjustments to its continued operational security course of.

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The FAA’s submission to investigators reiterated that the company is supporting the NTSB’s investigation. The NTSB has not introduced when it expects to difficulty its last report figuring out the possible explanation for the crash.

FOX Enterprise has reached out to UPS and Boeing for added touch upon their NTSB submissions.