Home / Disasters and Accidents / Boeing Knew of Broken Part Before Fatal UPS Crash
Boeing Knew of Broken Part Before Fatal UPS Crash
15 Jan
Summary
- Boeing knew of a broken part in 2011, but deemed it safe.
- The part failure contributed to the November 2025 UPS plane crash.
- Three pilots and 12 people on the ground died in the accident.
Boeing had knowledge of a critical part failure in 2011, years before it contributed to a deadly UPS cargo plane crash in November 2025. The National Transportation Safety Board revealed that Boeing had documented instances of the spherical bearing race failing on other aircraft but concluded it posed no immediate safety risk. Investigations into the November 4, 2025, crash revealed cracks in the engine mounting pylon, an issue that had not been detected in previous maintenance checks.
The UPS MD-11 plane, en route to Hawaii, crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky. The left engine detached from the wing shortly after leaving the ground, causing a catastrophic fire and explosion. Tragically, three pilots on board and 12 people on the ground lost their lives in the incident near Muhammad Ali International Airport.
This incident echoes a 1979 DC-10 crash, the MD-11's predecessor, which also saw an engine detach during takeoff. However, that earlier crash was attributed to maintenance worker error, not a design flaw. Following the UPS crash, all MD-11s and related DC-10s have been grounded.
