The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has unveiled images capturing the harrowing moment when a UPS cargo plane encountered a catastrophic failure shortly after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky on November 5. These images, part of the NTSB’s preliminary report, offer a chilling glimpse into the accident that resulted in the plane’s left engine detaching and igniting into flames.
The report provides details of the incident, noting that surveillance footage from the airport revealed the left engine and its pylon breaking away from the wing soon after the aircraft’s ascent. This separation was swiftly followed by a fire erupting around the left engine.
Tragically, the left engine plummeted to the ground, igniting a blaze near where it had been attached to the wing. The fire persisted as the aircraft descended uncontrollably, ultimately crashing into a nearby storage yard and impacting two additional structures.
The MD-11 aircraft in question is equipped with three engines: two mounted on the wings and one on the tail. Each engine on the wings is connected via a pylon, secured by forward and aft mounts.
The sequence of events leading to the crash, as documented in the NTSB’s photographs, reveals that the aft mount of the left pylon failed when both of its supporting arms fractured, resulting in the engine’s detachment.
During the incident, the left pylon’s aft mount broke when both supporting arms snapped, causing the engine to detach, according to the report.
Investigators found the failure began with hidden internal cracks that spread until the metal broke apart.
The NTSB also found tiny cracks that grew over time around boltholes in the mount, until investigators said it failed under normal stress.
The UPS plane was seen on fire prior to the fatal Nov. 5 crash. (NTSB)
Black box data showed the plane only reached about 30 feet above ground level prior to the crash, which killed 14 people, including the three pilots, and injured 23 others.
The report noted a similar failure happened on May 25, 1979, when American Airlines flight 191 crashed at Chicago-O’Hare International Airport.
Officials determined the 1979 crash was caused by the separation of the engine and pylon, which also led to catastrophic loss of control, according to the NTSB.
Officials shared a photo of the flight track prior to the deadly crash. (NTSB)
Flight 191 crashed into the open field and the wreckage scattered into an adjacent trailer park, killing all 271 people onboard the flight, two people on the ground, and injuring two others.
Two days after the Nov. 5 crash, UPS grounded its entire MD-11 fleet.
An FAA Emergency Airworthiness Directive issued a day later grounded all MD-11/MD-11F aircraft until inspections were completed.
