NTSB holds hearing on UPS Flight 2976 crash near Louisville

Federal safety investigators are convening a two-day hearing to examine the causes of the fatal crash of UPS Flight 2976, which occurred shortly after takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky, last November. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hear testimony from representatives of UPS, Boeing, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other parties as part of its investigation into the accident that killed fifteen people.

The crash happened on November 4, 2025, when the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo plane, bound for Honolulu, lost its left engine moments after becoming airborne from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. The aircraft reached an altitude of only about 30 feet before crashing into a warehouse, storage yard, and petroleum recycling facility, erupting into a large fireball. The three crew members on board were killed, and 23 people on the ground were injured.

Preliminary findings from the NTSB indicate that structural fittings, known as lugs, which attached the left engine to the wing, failed due to fatigue cracking and overstressing. Surveillance video analyzed by investigators showed the engine separating and traveling up and over the wing...