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NTSB Says UPS MD-11 Engine Detached on Takeoff, Cites Fatigue Cracks in Preliminary Report

The early findings prompted emergency inspections across MD-11 and related types.

Still images from an airport surveillance video showing the left engine and left pylon separation from the left wing.
Image
Fire and smoke mark where a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 04, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The fire in the area of the left pylon attachment to the wing continued as the airplane cleared the blast fence.

Overview

  • Frame-by-frame airport images show the left engine and pylon separating during rotation, igniting a fire as the jet briefly lifted off before failing to climb above about 30 feet.
  • Fourteen people died, including three crew and 11 on the ground, and 23 were injured as the aircraft struck a UPS warehouse, a storage yard, and a petroleum recycling facility, scattering debris across roughly 3,000 feet.
  • Materials lab work found fatigue cracks and areas of overstress in the left pylon aft mount and a fractured spherical bearing; the detached engine and pylon, plus both recorders, are under examination.
  • The FAA issued emergency airworthiness directives affecting MD-11 and DC-10 series aircraft after UPS and FedEx grounded MD-11 fleets pending inspections and corrective actions.
  • The 34-year-old aircraft had about 93,000 flight hours and over 21,000 cycles; a 2021 visual check of the left pylon aft mount was current, more intrusive inspections were not yet due, and the NTSB says a final report is expected in 18–24 months.