NTSB holds hearing on deadly UPS MD-11 crash in Louisville : NPR
NPR • • general
Key Points:
- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hold a two-day hearing to investigate the cause of the fatal crash of UPS Flight 2976, an MD-11 cargo plane that crashed shortly after takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky, killing all 15 people on board.
- Preliminary findings highlight a failure in the spherical bearing of the engine mounting system, a known issue previously identified by Boeing in 2011, though initially not deemed a flight safety threat.
- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all MD-11 aircraft after the crash but recently cleared them to return to service following Boeing's updated inspection and maintenance protocols.
- FedEx has resumed flying MD-11s after conducting thorough safety inspections and implementing Boeing's new engine mount bearing replacement, while UPS has decided to retire its entire MD-11 fleet and replace it with Boeing 767 aircraft.
- The NTSB hearing will include testimony from UPS, the FAA, and Boeing, as investigators continue to determine the exact cause of the crash.