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The NTSB is holding a two-day hearing on the UPS Boeing MD-11F cargo plane that crashed on Nov. 4, 2025.
The hearing is scheduled from May 19 to 20 at its boardroom in Washington, D.C. The first day focuses on inspections, maintenance and safety reporting and the second day will focus on the design of the aircraft. The NTSB will hear from UPS, the FAA, Boeing, the Independent Pilots Association (IPA), GE Aerospace, Teamsters Airline Division? and ??Collins Aerospace. The NTSB also released 6,000 pages of documents on the crash the morning before the hearing, as well as a video showing the MD-11's left engine falling off as it tried to take off.
"Please know: Your loved ones are the reason we're here. We want to find out what happened," said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy to the families of the victims.
The attorney for the victims' family, Bradley M. Cosgrove, partner at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago, is in attendance on the first day of hearings alongside some of his clients. He states that Clifford Law Offices is in the process of reviewing the released documents.
"The NTSB's Preliminary Report and early hours of its Public Hearing show that Boeing, UPS, and ST Aerospace (aircraft maintenance provider for UPS) MD-11 engine pylon structural safety analyses and inspection and maintenance processes were clearly incorrect, unsafe, and insufficient to prevent this accident," said Cosgrove. "The remainder of this Public Hearing and NTSB investigation and reporting process will hopefully produce thorough documentation of the Boeing, UPS, ST Aerospace, FAA, and other organizational failures that led to this crash. Clifford Law Offices will continue its own investigation and make sure those responsible for this crash are held accountable."
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11, operating as Flight 2976, was departing from Louisville International Muhammad Ali Airport (SDF) and was scheduled to fly to Daniel K Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu. It was revealed during the hearing that the aircraft was not originally scheduled to make the flight, but was pressed into service after the original jet was sidelined due to a fuel leak.
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Shortly after takeoff from SDF, the plane's left engine separated from the wing and caught fire. The aircraft crashed into a nearby petroleum recycling plant and automotive salvage yard. The crash claimed the lives of all three crew members and 11 people on the ground. A 15th victim later died on Christmas Day from the injuries he sustained from the crash.
The preliminary report stated that fatigue cracks were discovered on left-engine-mount components recovered from the runway, including the spherical bearing assembly. It also stated there was evidence of overstress failures. It was later discovered that these specific parts were identified in 2011 in a Boeing service letter as being prone to cracking and breaking. While Boeing recommended replacing them with a different part, it did not require it and did not prohibit installing the part. UPS grounded all of its MD-11 aircraft following the crash, then retired the aircraft on Jan. 27 in its Q4 2025 earnings report.