NTSB Official Stresses ‘Very Active Day’ in UPS Crash Investigation

Recovery efforts and flight data analysis continue for deadly cargo plane accident.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, November 06, 2025 at 05:21 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

UPS MD-11 freighter [Credit: Jim Allen/FreightWaves]

Key Takeaways:

The NTSB is actively investigating the UPS MD-11 crash, having successfully recovered and downloaded data from both the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) for analysis.
Preliminary findings indicate the aircraft's No. 1 (left) engine disintegrated and separated from the wing during takeoff, causing a fire.
The crash resulted in at least 12 fatalities and 15 injuries, with nine individuals, including the three crew members, still unaccounted for, and the NTSB's top priority is the recovery of the missing and supporting affected families.

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National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said “it’s been a very active day” during a press conference Thursday to update the investigation into the UPS MD-11 crash in Louisville, Kentucky.

Inman noted the NTSB has put together a multidisciplinary team and brought in additional specialists who can help piece together the situation that led to Tuesday’s deadly accident that killed at least 12 people and injured 15.