The families of several victims who were injured or killed in the November 2025 crash of a UPS cargo jet shortly after takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky, were in attendance at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington, D.C., along with dozens of others attending, who were shown videos and photos in the introductory remarks. Many chose to stay in a private room set aside for the grieving families, so they were not seated in a public area.
Bradley M. Cosgrove, partner at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago, who filed the first wrongful death lawsuits in Kentucky regarding this crash and who was in attendance at the hearings with some of his clients, said, “These families are still trying to come to terms with this unspeakable tragedy. Seeing the videos and photos up close of how their loved ones perished or were injured is something they clearly cannot come to terms with and will never be able to, given that this horrific event was so preventable.” Cosgrove, who heads the team of aviation lawyers, pilots, and technical experts at the firm on this crash, said, “Clifford Law Offices is conducting its own investigation with its experts to get to the bottom of what happened to ensure that the truth is uncovered.”
The NTSB began calling witnesses, including representatives from UPS, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Boeing, which manufactured the MD-11F cargo jet that crashed into a recycling area near the airport, killing 14 people and injuring 23 more on the ground. The hearings are expected to run all day Tuesday and half of Wednesday.
“We’re here to improve safety, and that is our primary purpose,” NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said in her opening remarks.
Clifford Law Offices, an internationally recognized aviation firm based in Chicago, represents seven of the victims’ families who lost loved ones in the crash, as well as several other people who were severely injured in the inferno when the Boeing jet loaded with fuel crashed heading to Hawaii.
The 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 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 (the DC-10) upon takeoff rotation.
United Parcel Service (UPS) Flight 2976 crashed on November 4, 2025, at about 5:15 p.m. EST shortly after it took off from Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville.
The first day of the hearing dealt with “Fleet Safety Processes,” including technical experts being questioned by the NTSB Board about maintenance issues, quality assurance, and communication processes. Day 2 is expected to delve into “Pylon Design Requirements.”
The agenda released by the NTSB is being streamed live. Click here to access.
The hearings, part of the NTSB’s ongoing investigation, are expected to run until 6 p.m. EST Monday at the NTSB boardroom, at 490 L’Enfant Plaza SW in the nation’s capital.
For further information, contact Clifford Law Offices Communications Partner Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909 (cell) or Pammenaker@cliffordlaw.com.
NTSB Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy opens the two-day hearing on the UPS crash in Washington, D.C., and begins by expressing the Board’s condolences to those impacted by this crash.
The NTSB presents images, videos, and animations detailing the November 2025 UPS crash in Louisville.
Evidence photos presented by the NTSB depict the moments leading up to the crash and the devastation that followed.