Overview
- A UPS MD‑11 lost its left engine and pylon and crashed while taking off from Louisville on Nov. 4, 2025, killing three crew and 12 people on the ground.
- New NTSB filings show UPS did not require the deep pylon bearing inspection because Boeing had judged the bearing problem not to be a safety‑of‑flight issue.
- Boeing added an enhanced inspection to its maintenance manual but never placed that procedure into the federally approved Maintenance Planning Document that would force operators to schedule it.
- Investigators and witnesses told the NTSB that a steel spherical bearing and its outer sheath can migrate deep inside the pylon and fail without obvious signs unless the engine is removed for a close inspection.
- After the crash the FAA approved Boeing’s corrective plan, Boeing set a 4,000‑cycle bearing replacement interval, FedEx resumed restricted MD‑11 flights, UPS retired its MD‑11s early, and the NTSB’s final probable‑cause report is expected late 2026 or early 2027.