Accidents
NTSB Notes Pylon Lug Fatigue in UPS MD-11F Accident
UPS grounded MD-11 fleet for inspections
The left pylon aft mount, the fractured and separated forward and aft lugs, and the left wing clevis containing the attachment hardware and fractured spherical bearing.
The left pylon aft mount, the fractured and separated forward and aft lugs, and the left wing clevis containing the attachment hardware and fractured spherical bearing. © NTSB

A structural failure in the left engine pylon of a UPS McDonnell Douglas MD-11F likely led to the separation of the No. 1 engine just after rotation in the UPS Flight 2976 crash on November 4, according to the NTSB preliminary report. Airport surveillance imagery reviewed by investigators showed the engine and pylon breaking away from the left wing and arcing over the fuselage while on fire as the airplane rotated and attempted to climb.

The aircraft reached no more than about 30 feet agl before striking a UPS warehouse beyond the end of Runway 17R at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (KSDF). The MD-11F, registered as N259UP, was destroyed in subsequent impacts and fire. All three crewmembers and 11 people on the ground were killed, and 23 others on the ground were injured, two seriously.