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)
Nice explanations. Did they offshore depot level maintenance?
It was a third party maintenance depot but it was stateside, San Antonio
What if some genius used an improper procedure to change the engine and damaged the mechanism? Apparently there was fatigue failure. That can happen quickly if the conditions are right (I know it sounds strange) . Otherwise how often do they monitor for cracks in that area. I’m guessing there is a schedule for that it sound pretty critical.
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).
“When was it last maintained and were the mechanics qualified and/or diligent in their duties.”
You have to ask more questions these days. Did they PAY the mechanics or was it more “this two hour grease job pays half an hour, so it’s getting half an hour.” Also, did the mechanics even speak English or was it all “Okay boss!”
Given Boeing with entire doors falling off because Reasons, it makes you question the maintenance integrity.
I mean, sometimes stuff just breaks, but a whole engine pylon peeling off? Seems extreme.
Very smart JMM.
A not so amusing story — well, at the time anyway.
Had a Lexus ES300 for nearly 20 years. Late in the life of the car I told the mechanic that I had a small pool of oil on my garage floor.
He asked me if I had any cardboard boxes in the garage.
Seeing my puzzlement he hastened to advise me to cut one up and position it below the leak.
I told him I wanted it repaired despite its age. Like you I do not take short cuts on maintenance.
I smell DEI. Or just “Plane” careless negligence.
FILTHY LIBERALS
Horrific. I will be flying to LA for our annual family gathering to see all the Nieces, Nephews, and my own grandsons … I’m gonna be eyeballing the engine pylons the entire flight … and should probably demand the entire maintenance log before I board the plane.
I’ve never been a nervous flyer as … c’est la vie … if we’re going down … there’s not a damn thing I can do aboot it. But I might break out into a nervous sweat this flight?
Flying is the safest means of travel until it isn’t.
Wrong place to have chicomm shear bolts.
There was a similar pylon failure, in 1979 on a DC-10. AA Flight 191, over 200 killed. If I read it correctly, there were 3 bearings holding the engine in place. Maintenance crews would pull 2 of them and let the engine swing down, with the 3rd holding the entire weight. The 3rd would eventually fail. Not the specified procedure.
Nowadays, who knows, maybe they just forgot to put them all back.
“When one door closes, another door opens.” -Boeing
Didn’t watch it all, so maybe it was mentioned.
I read somewhere that the maintenance was supposed to involve removing the engine from the pylon and then removing the pylon from the wing. Apparently to save time they set up a hoist to accept the engine with the pylon attached and that if the hoist was not perfectly aligned it could have caused the bolt’s stress fracture.
14 dead!