On January 14, 206 the National Transportation Safety Board released an investigative update detailing new information about the UPS plane that crashed in November 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The NTSB said Boeing documented in a 2011 Service Letter that there were four previous failures of a part that helps secure the MD-11’s engines to the wings on three different planes. The agency added in the update, “according to the Service Letter, a review of the spherical bearing failure by Boeing determined it would not result in a safety of flight condition.”
Aviation attorney Lea Bucciero said Boeing’s liability is clear and believes UPS will also be at the center of the investigation. “Obviously an engine coming off a wing is most definitely a safety of flight issue,” said Bucciero.
The role maintenance played remains to be seen. The NTSB said investigators are reviewing UPS’s incorporation of the contents of the Service Letter into its Boeing MD-11 maintenance program.
“Boeing’s service letter did not forbid using the part that they already knew was susceptible to failure,” said Bucciero. She added the manufacturer could have also required more frequent inspections.
UPS Flight 2976 erupted in flames shortly after taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport en route to Hawaii. All three crew members on board died as well as 12 additional victims on the ground. The NTSB report says more than 20 people were injured.
“It is extremely important for family members of the individuals who passed away and for injured victims to seek counsel experienced in aviation matters,” said Bucciero. The aviation attorney added “there are nuances involved in litigating an aviation case that are different than other personal injury cases.”
For nearly 60 years, Podhurst Orseck has led the field in aviation accident litigation, building a global reputation for securing justice. We’ve represented victims and families in hundreds of high-profile cases, from commercial airline crashes and private plane accidents to military and international tragedies.
For more information on this case, you can watch Bucciero’s interview with WAVE in Louisville here.
