Video: The NTSB just released the preliminary report for the UPS MD-11 crash in Louisville — and the findings are significant. In today’s video, Captain Steeeve breaks down what investigators discovered, why the left engine separated from the wing during takeoff, and what the early data tells us about the moments leading up to the crash.
The FAA followed with Emergency Airworthiness Directive 2025-23-51 on November 8, prohibiting further flight of MD-11s and MD-11Fs until operators completed inspections and any corrective actions approved by the agency’s Continued Operational Safety Branch. A superseding directive issued November 14 widened the scope to include DC-10-series aircraft due to their similar pylon architecture.
That would be a horrible video to watch, just the stills are eerie enough!
There is a lubrication schedule for those spherical bearings, they HAVE to take grease. Its possible they didn’t or were just “pen whipped” or both. Apparently it had done a couple flights once it came out of the repair depot, but this was the first flight at max gross take off weight (MGTOW) since then. There was word of poor practices at the repair depot from whence it came out of maintenance.
You can see from the pictures the spherical bearing housing has split in half, possible if the bearing was seized or otherwise immobile, its designed to move as everything flexes, if not, it would impart serious load on the pylon lug to which it is attached. You can see the lugs are made in two parts, instead of one solid casting, many critical parts are made like this as a “fail safe”, so if one lug cracks through, it doesn’t compromise the whole structure, the other half of the lug should carry the loads imposed on it.
The fact that both lugs failed catastrophically means some major oversights have occurred, it could have been flying with some existing cracks in the lugs.
(AME with light and heavy licences)
I have often been accused of being overly cautious with my car maintenance and the maintenance on the houses which I have lived in, but I am a “safety gal”! Whenever I read of horrific accidents such as this, my first thought is “When was it last maintained and were the mechanics qualified and/or diligent in their duties.”
I seem to be the lucky home owner who replaces roofs, furnaces, windows and braces basement walls (currently living in Regina) but I have saved myself much grief and expense further on down the line and my houses always sell in a very timely fashion (4 days usually).