Initial details released Thursday, November 20, 2025, by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicate that the crash of a UPS cargo jet on November 4 was preventable, according to Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices in Chicago, who has represented families in every commercial airline crash in America in the last 45 years. He has been retained by people who were injured or lost loved ones in the UPS crash and has been contacted by others impacted by this tragedy in Louisville, Kentucky.
“The NTSB has done a very solid job at digging into the cause of this terrible disaster in Louisville. The preliminary report indicates that its investigation continues, and it provides some answers to the core questions on what really caused the crash.” As Clifford predicted, “the report reveals a very strong similarity between the crash in Louisville and the May 1979 DC 10 crash of American Airlines flight 191 in Chicago killing 271 souls aboard,” said Clifford, who serves as lead counsel in the crash of a Boeing 737 MAX8 nearly seven years ago where he has represented 74 victims of all 157 killed on that tragic flight.
From the beginning, Clifford compared this crash to the 1979 crash of an American Airlines jet that killed all 271 on board and two people on the ground when the left engine detached and crashed shortly after takeoff at O’Hare International Airport. He worked on many of those cases as well more than 40 years ago.
Clifford added, “What is new about this case is that the age of the aircraft suggests that this plane was old, tired, and well beyond its useful life, even though the owner and the operators continued to push it into service, certainly triggering questions about profit over safety. The NTSB investigation reveals fatigue fractures of the bolts and locking devices that held the engine to the wing. Metal fatigue can happen over time and should be detected upon proper safety investigations and inspections. The failure to properly detect the fatigue fractures could easily be the reason why there was an ultimate failure of the pylon used to attach the engine to the wing. The victims of this crash can rightly point to all associated with the ownership, operation, and maintenance of this aircraft, as well as oversight and supervision by The Boeing Company and possibly General Electric regarding the engines. More information will be revealed as the investigation continues.”
The UPS cargo jet crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 14 people and injuring at least 23 more people, less than 30 seconds after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, crashing into a nearby industrial park area. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard to help in the recovery efforts. The MD-11 aircraft was headed to Honolulu, Hawaii, filled with approximately 38,000 gallons of jet fuel upon takeoff.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all MD-11 aircraft on Saturday, November 8, effective immediately until an investigation is concluded. “The FAA is issuing this AD [Airworthiness Directive] because the agency has determined the unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design,” according to a directive issued by the FAA Acting Deputy Executive Director of Aircraft Certification Service, Mallory A. Naill.
It is estimated that there are 82 MD-11s in operation throughout the world, with 70 in the United States.
UPS, as well as GE, which manufactured the engine, and Boeing, maker of the MD-11 plane that crashed, are being examined to determine if the companies failed to maintain the aircraft properly, train crews, and implement sufficient safety policies.
Three UPS pilots were on board among those killed who were cleared for takeoff. Eleven other people on the ground were also killed. Others in the area were affected from the huge impact and flying debris of the cargo jet that caused a massive explosion and fire with plumes of smoke that could be seen for miles.
Todd Inman, a member of the NTSB who is leading the investigation, was on the scene with a team of investigators shortly after the crash to determine the probable cause. The black boxes from the jet were recovered, and the final report is expected in about a year.
For further information, contact Clifford Law Offices Communications Partner Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909 (cell) or pammenaker@cliffordlaw.com.