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NTSB Focuses on Maintenance Procedures on First Day of UPS Crash Hearing

Investigators zero in on spherical bearing that allegedly weakened an engine pylon.

Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 10:21 AM ET

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

Key Takeaways:

The NTSB is holding a hearing on the fatal crash of UPS Flight 2976, an MD-11F that crashed on takeoff after an engine detached, killing all three crew members and 11 people on the ground.
The hearing primarily focuses on maintenance procedures and the structural integrity of the engine attachment, specifically concerning an allegedly failing "spherical bearing" that weakened the engine pylon.
Boeing and UPS were reportedly aware since 2008 of potential fractures and migration in these spherical bearings but did not consider it a safety issue, issuing only a non-mandatory service letter for inspection.
Preliminary investigation notes metal fatigue in the pylon, and following the accident, similar cracks were found on engine attachment pylons in other MD-11 aircraft globally, leading UPS to ground its MD-11 fleet.

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Maintenance procedures and protocols took center stage on day one of the National Transportation Safety Board’s hearing on the fatal crash of UPS Flight 2976.

The two-day hearing in Washington, D.C., is an information-gathering exercise, with Boeing, UPS, ST Engineering, Independent Pilots Association, Teamsters Airline Division, GE Aerospace, Collins Aerospace, and the FAA present to answer questions about procedures and policies for aircraft maintenance.

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.