UPS never required detailed inspection of part that failed before engine flew off plane that crashed
UPS said Boeing never required enhanced bearing checks that investigators say could have detected the flaw before the engine separated.
- New documents released Wednesday show UPS never required detailed inspections of engine parts that failed before its MD-11 crashed, even after Boeing recommended it years earlier because the planemaker incorrectly claimed the failure would not jeopardize flight safety.
- Boeing previously petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration to extend inspection intervals from 19,900 to 29,260 cycles, a change sought despite receiving reports of seven bearing flaws, leading to three additional failures after the schedule was relaxed.
- Chris Hentz, Vice President of STE San Antonio Aerospace, said UPS only required mechanics to check for corrosion, while Boeing simultaneously claimed existing requirements were sufficient and that "changes to the inspection requirement of the spherical bearing were warranted."
- The crash last November at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport killed three pilots and 12 people on the ground; the National Transportation Safety Board expects to delay its final report until next year, though aviation expert Jeff Guzzetti emphasized "safety is a shared responsibility."
- Following the crash, engine mounts were closely inspected and spherical bearings will now be replaced regularly after every 4,000 cycles, while UPS decided to retire all of its MD-11 freighters early to address the safety and maintenance failures.
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37 Articles
UPS says Boeing guidance led carrier not to adopt enhanced MD-11 inspections before fatal crash
UPS said it relied on Boeing's assessment that a known engine mount issue did not pose a flight safety risk when it chose not to adopt enhanced inspections before last year's fatal cargo plane crash in Louisville, according to newly released National Transportation Safety Board filings.In its post-hearing submission to the NTSB, UPS said it followed all required Boeing and Federal Aviation Administration-approved maintenance programs for its MD-…
UPS didn't required inspection of part that failed before deadly Louisville crash
FILE - Plumes of smoke rise from the area of a UPS cargo plane crash at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (Jon Cherry / AP)UPS never required the detailed inspections needed to spot the problem that led to an engine to fly off one of its planes before it crashed even after Boeing recommended it years earlier, according to new documents posted Wednesday by crash investigators. But UPS said in its own …
UPS never required detailed inspection of part that failed before engi
UPS never required the detailed inspections needed to spot the problem that led to an engine to fly off one of its planes before it crashed even after Boeing recommended it years earlier, according to new documents posted Wednesday by crash investigators. But UPS said in its own submission to the National Transportation Safety Board that the reason it never required those enhanced bearing inspections inside the pylons that hold the engines to th…
Associated Press News
UPS never required detailed inspection of part that failed before engine flew off plane that crashed
UPS never required the detailed inspections needed to spot the problem that allowed an engine to fly off one of its planes before it crashed and killed 15 people last fall even after Boeing recommended it years earlier.
UPS never required inspection of part that failed before engine flew off plane jet
UPS never required the detailed inspections needed to spot the problem that allowed an engine to fly off one of its planes before it crashed and killed 15 people last fall even after Boeing recommended it years earlier
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