Wing parts of UPS plane that crashed in Kentucky had cracks, signs of overstress, report says

Christopher Leach, Lexington Herald-Leader on Nov 20, 2025

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Parts of the left wing on the UPS airplane that crashed in Louisville Nov. 4, killing 14 people, had fatigue cracks and signs of overstress, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The NTSB’s report was released Thursday, a little more than two weeks after the plane crashed near Muhammad Ali International Airport during takeoff. Among the 14 dead are the plane’s three crew members; another 23 were injured.

Todd Inman, an NTSB member, previously said the left engine and pylon of the plane detached during takeoff, causing the plane to plummet and crash into multiple businesses near the airport. A “repeating bell” was heard on the plane’s cockpit recording only seconds before the crash.

The NTSB’s report elaborated on the mechanical failure and laid out a maintenance timeline of when the parts were most recently inspected. The report is preliminary, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Left wing parts had fatigue cracks, signs of overstress

Federal NTSB investigators collected several pieces of the MD-11 aircraft on or near to the runway where the engine and pylon detached and at the crash site. Lugs bolting together the aft mount that attached the left pylon to the plane’s wing had fatigue cracks and evidence of overstress failure, according to the report.

The lugs were not inspected prior to the crash, the report reads. UPS’ maintenance program requires the lugs to undergo a special, detailed inspection at 29,200 cycles, and the plane was at 21,043 cycles at the time of the crash.

Additionally, the plane’s wing clevis support would have been due for a special detailed inspection at 28,000 cycles. A spherical bearing from the left wing clevis is undergoing further evaluation, the NTSB said.

The left pylon aft mount underwent a general visual inspection and a detailed visual inspection Oct. 28, 2021, according to the NTSB. The forward top flange of the mount was inspected, and no indications of deformation or preexisting fractures were found.

UPS’ maintenance program requires pylon aft mounts to be inspected every 72 months.

The plane also underwent lubrication maintenance on the pylon thrust links and pylon spherical bearings Oct. 18, 2025, according to the NTSB. UPS requires those inspections to be done every 24 months.

Inman previously said the plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, had undergone six weeks of maintenance in September and October in San Antonio. Inman described the maintenance routine performed in Texas as a heavy check.

Since the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all MD-11 and MD-11F aircraft until they undergo inspections and any necessary repairs. The FAA also grounded all MD-10 and DC-10 aircraft because the engine-pylon structure of those planes is similar in design to MD-11 aircraft, and the unsafe condition is “likely to exist or develop.”