Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleMD-11 cargo plane sits idle on the tarmac on November 5, 2025 at Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky. The same type of plane crashed near the UPS facility at the airport shortly after take-off on November 4 (Getty)A UPS plane crashed last fall at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, resulting in the deaths of three pilots and 12 people on the ground, with 23 others injured. New documents reveal UPS never mandated detailed inspections for a critical flaw that caused an engine to detach, despite Boeing having recommended such inspections years earlier. UPS argued that Boeing had incorrectly stated that a failure of the specific engine pylon bearings would not compromise flight safety, which influenced their decision not to require enhanced inspections. Officials from both Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conceded during hearings that they had misunderstood the risks associated with the engine mount flaw before the crash. Following the incident, FedEx resumed flying its MD-11s after implementing regular bearing replacements, while UPS chose to retire its entire MD-11 fleet early. In fullBoeing told UPS that engine flaw wasn’t flight safety risk before 15 died, officials claimThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
How a hidden Boeing engine flaw ended in a crash that killed 15
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleMD-11 cargo plane sits idle on the tarmac on November 5, 2025 at Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky. The same type of plane crashed near the UPS facility at the airport shortly after take-off on November 4 (Getty)A UPS plane crashed last fall at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, resulting in the deaths of three pilots and 12 people on the ground, with 23 others injured. New documents reveal UPS never mandated detailed inspections for a critical flaw that caused an engine to detach, despite Boeing having recommended such inspections years earlier. UPS argued that Boeing had incorrectly stated that a failure of the specific engine pylon bearings would not compromise flight safety, which influenced their decision not to require enhanced inspections. Officials from both Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conceded during hearings that they had misunderstood the risks associated with the engine mount flaw before the crash. Following the incident, FedEx resumed flying its MD-11s after implementing regular bearing replacements, while UPS chose to retire its entire MD-11 fleet early. In fullBoeing told UPS that engine flaw wasn’t flight safety risk before 15 died, officials claimThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
