NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on Deadly MD-11 Crash in Louisville

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on the deadly UPS MD-11 crash in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 4, 2025. The report suggests that the left engine and pylon were torn from the wing during takeoff, vaulting up and over the fuselage. The NTSB has found evidence of fatigue cracking and overstress failure on the left pylon’s aft mount. The incident is similar to a 1979 DC-10 crash, and the FAA has issued an emergency airworthiness directive to ground MD-11 and DC-10 aircraft until inspections and corrective actions can be completed. The UPS MD-11 was destroyed by impact forces and fire, killing all three crew members and 11 people on the ground. Twenty-three others were injured. The aircraft was operating on a would-be flight to Honolulu.