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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 2025 crash of UPS Flight 2976, an MD-11F, which involved an engine separating during takeoff and resulted in 14 fatalities (3 crew, 11 on ground).
The investigation is scrutinizing aircraft maintenance procedures, focusing on a spherical bearing that allegedly failed, weakening the engine pylon due to metal fatigue.
Testimony revealed that Boeing and UPS were aware since 2008 of potential fracturing and migration of these spherical bearings but did not classify it as a safety issue.
Following the accident, MD-11 fleets worldwide underwent inspection, revealing similar pylon cracks, which led UPS to subsequently 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.