The National Transportation Safety Board will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday to investigate why a UPS McDonnell Douglas MD-11F lost its engine and crashed after taking off from Louisville, Kentucky, last year.
The hearing comes just days after the Federal Aviation Administration approved the return of similar aircraft to the skies.
On November 4, UPS cargo plane 2976 bound for Hawaii crashed shortly after taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Flames and debris spread for half a mile and black smoke billowed into the sky. 14 people died, including three crew members on the plane, and 23 people on the ground were injured.
The UPS cargo plane is a 34-year-old jet equipped with three engines: two in the wings and one in the tail.
Now, in a two-day hearing, the National Transportation Safety Board will question witnesses, including representatives from UPS, the pilots union, the FAA and Boeing Co., to help determine what went wrong.
Preliminary investigation results show fatigue cracks, excessive stress
According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, the agency has determined that a pair of structural fittings that secure the left jet engine to the wing failed.
Airport surveillance video analyzed frame by frame by the National Transportation Safety Board showed the engine detaching and rising over the wing before landing on the runway. The plane spewed flames and flew only about 30 feet into the air before hitting a warehouse, stockyard and oil recovery facility.
Investigators said components that secure the engine to the wing, called lugs, showed signs of fatigue cracks and excessive stress.
Three days after the accident, UPS grounded its MD-11 aircraft, and the next day, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all MD-11 aircraft in the United States until inspections were completed. The carrier said MD-11 aircraft accounted for about 9% of UPS’s fleet at the time of the accident. FedEx and Western Global Airlines also operate the same type of aircraft.
Last week, “after an extensive review, the FAA approved Boeing’s protocol for the safe return of MD-11 aircraft to service,” the agency told CNN in a statement.
Boeing has been responsible for manufacturing the MD-11 since its acquisition of McDonnell Douglas, and has provided inspection and maintenance instructions. A Boeing spokesperson told CNN that it “will continue to provide technical support and guidance to help them meet FAA requirements.”
UPS announced it no longer plans to operate the MD-11. However, FedEx has resumed some flights with aircraft that have been repaired and inspected.
Damage seen by drone after a UPS cargo plane crashed in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, on November 7, 2025. – NTSB/Handout/Reuters
unanswered questions
At a hearing this week, more details about the cause of the crash are expected to be released.
All previous maintenance work will be reviewed, including overhaul work performed after the aircraft was grounded in San Antonio, Texas, for six weeks in September and October. The plane had resumed flying with UPS less than a month before the crash.
Information from the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder will indicate what the pilots said and how they reacted to the troubled flight.
Investigators will also look into what information UPS is required to report to Boeing and the FAA, operational safety procedures and engine accessory design.
The NTSB typically expects to issue a final report detailing the possible causes of the crash within 18 to 24 months after an accident. The agency will not pursue liability but will identify problems and provide recommendations to improve safety.
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