Boeing Knew of Engine Flaw Years Before Deadly UPS Cargo Plane Crash
Good evening and we begin tonight with disturbing new details about a deadly cargo plane crash in the United States and serious questions now being raised about what was known long before that aircraft ever left the runway.
Investigators say a UPS cargo jet that crashed shortly after takeoff in Kentucky last November failed because a critical engine part broke apart and that same part had been flagged by Boeing more than a decade earlier. The aircraft, an MD-11 freighter, was preparing to depart Louisville when one of its engines tore away from the wing. The plane briefly lifted off, then lost control, slamming into an industrial area in a massive fireball.
Fifteen people were killed. Three crew members on board and twelve people on the ground.
Now, the US National Transportation Safety Board has released a rare investigative update and the findings are unsettling. Investigators say the engine was held in place by a metal housing around a bearing and that housing showed clear signs of long-term metal fatigue and cracking. In simple terms, the part had been weakening over time, until it finally failed under stress.
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What makes this especially troubling is that Boeing had seen this exact issue before. According to the report, similar failures were found on other MD-11 aircraft as far back as 2011. Boeing sent a service letter to airlines at the time, warning about the issue. But the company concluded that the problem would not create a safety-of-flight risk. The inspections it recommended were visual checks, spaced years apart and replacing the part was not required.
This latest update strongly challenges that judgment.
The MD-11 is an older aircraft design, first built by McDonnell Douglas. Boeing took over responsibility after acquiring the company in the late 1990s and while the plane is no longer produced, it remains in cargo service around the world. That means questions now extend beyond this one crash, to how aging aircraft are monitored, inspected and maintained.
Aviation safety experts say the engine mount is not a minor component. It carries massive forces during takeoff, including thrust and drag. If it fails, the consequences can be immediate and catastrophic, as this crash tragically showed.
This comes at a difficult time for Boeing, which is already facing intense scrutiny over safety culture, quality control and past decisions tied to fatal accidents involving other aircraft models. While the NTSB does not assign blame, its findings often lead to industry-wide changes.
Boeing says it is cooperating fully with investigators and has offered condolences to the families affected. The NTSB’s full report is still many months away, but tonight’s update adds pressure and raises a painful question. Could this tragedy have been prevented?
That investigation continues and we will keep following every development.
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