Initial Findings in UPS Plane Crash Resemble 1979 Disaster

A government inquiry into the fatal crash of a UPS cargo aircraft in Louisville, Kentucky, which led to 14 casualties earlier this month, determined that the engine detached due to metal fatigue and stress on the hardware.

The National Transportation Safety Board released an initial accident report on Thursday, displaying sequential images demonstrating how the engine, manufactured by General Electric, detached and struck the aircraft's body as it was departing for Honolulu. The report also featured photos of debris being examined in NTSB facilities.

Investigators discovered signs of fatigue fractures and overstress failure in the component connecting the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter's left engine to its wing, as highlighted in the report.

The report stated the crash resulted in the deaths of the three individuals onboard alongside 11 people on the ground. Additionally, 23 people sustained injuries, all within an industrial area near the Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville—a fact corroborated by satellite images in the report.

The aircraft initially ascended about 30 feet, managing to clear a perimeter fence before its primary landing gear collided with the roof of a UPS warehouse situated at the airport boundary. Subsequently, the plane collided with a storage area and two more buildings, among them a petroleum recycling warehouse, and was largely engulfed in flames.

Occurrences of Metal Fatigue in Aviation

The MD-11 jet involved was a 34-year-old widebody aircraft, originally delivered to Thai Airways in 1991 and acquired by UPS in 2006. Boeing had merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997.

Following this accident, the Federal Aviation Administration took the step of grounding the MD-11 fleet used by companies like UPS and FedEx.

Although rare, airplane crashes resulting from metal fatigue have happened in past instances.

The report referenced an even more catastrophic incident in 1979. American Airlines Flight 191—a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10—crashed into an open area by Chicago-O'Hare International Airport's runway.

During takeoff, the aircraft's left engine dislodged, dropping to the tarmac. The ensuing crash and fire obliterated the plane, claiming 273 lives, including two ground victims.

More recently, Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 in 2018 encountered an uncontained engine failure during its flight from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Dallas, tragically claiming a passenger in a window seat.

In 2016, another Southwest flight experienced an engine explosion while traveling from New Orleans to Orlando. The incident pierced the fuselage with a significant hole, though the plane safely landed. The NTSB attributed the failure to a fan blade compromised by metal fatigue.

The investigation into UPS flight 2976 by the NTSB continues, explored in Thursday's report.