Boeing’s Safety Review Board (SRB) for the second of 10 prior MD-11 aft pylon bearing failures concluded in 2007 that an undetected aft pylon bearing failure could cause damage to the aft pylon lugs that keep the engine attached to the plane; however, based on information provided at today’s NTSB hearing on the UPS cargo jet crash, Boeing may not have advised the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or operators of this potentially catastrophic aft pylon lug damage nor did Boeing suggest that the FAA require mandatory corrective action. This critical information was revealed at this afternoon’s hearing (May 19, 2026), the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) hearing investigating the cause of the crash of the November 2025 UPS cargo jet.
The NTSB’s preliminary report found that this type of catastrophic aft pylon bearing and lug failure is what caused the Boeing UPS cargo jet crash last Nov. 4, 2025, killing 15 and injuring 23 more. FAA and UPS staff testified today that had they been notified of the potential for aft lug damage due to aft pylon bearing failure, they may have required additional analysis and corrective action at that time — about 17 years before this crash.
Bradley M. Cosgrove, partner at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago who filed the first wrongful death lawsuits in Kentucky regarding the crash of a UPS cargo jet and who was in attendance at the hearings with some of his clients, said, “Instead of raising this important issue to the FAA to take corrective action, Boeing issued a non-mandatory Service Bulletin (SB) that merely called for a bearing inspection and recommended change to a new bearing design.”
Cosgrove, who heads the team of aviation lawyers, pilots, and technical experts at the firm on this crash, said, “Boeing’s 2007 Safety Review Board concluded that an undetected aft pylon bearing failure could lead to damage to the aft pylon lug. Despite this internal finding, Boeing does not appear to have advised the FAA or operators of the potential hazard and did not require corrective action. This crash was preventable had Boeing done the right thing.”
The NTSB today called numerous witnesses from UPS, FAA, ST Aerospace, and Boeing to discuss safety issues related to the MD-11F cargo United Parcel Service (UPS) Flight 2976 that crashed Nov. 4, 2025, at about 5:15 p.m. EST shortly after it took off from Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, into a recycling area near the airport as it headed to Hawaii loaded with jet fuel.
NTSB’s preliminary report, issued about a month after the crash, revealed that the aircraft’s left engine and pylon separated from the wing during rotation and takeoff. In its initial fact gathering, the NTSB found mechanical problems involving fatigue fractures with the aircraft’s left pylon. NTSB investigators noted parallels today to the 1979 American Airlines Flight 191 crash at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, where the engine and pylon also detached from a similar aircraft (DC-10) upon takeoff rotation.
The first day of the hearing dealt with “Fleet Safety Processes,” during which technical experts were questioned by the NTSB Board about maintenance issues, quality assurance, and communication processes. The hearing will continue tomorrow with Boeing and FAA witnesses testifying.
For further information, contact Clifford Law Offices Communications Partner Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909 (cell) or pammenaker@cliffordlaw.com.