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 conducting a comprehensive, multi-agency investigation into the UPS MD-11 crash in Louisville, prioritizing the recovery of nine missing individuals and providing support to the families of the twelve deceased and fifteen injured.
Key flight data, including the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), and ADS-B information, has been successfully recovered and is being analyzed.
Preliminary findings indicate the aircraft's left (No. 1) engine disintegrated and caught fire during takeoff, and investigators are reviewing the aircraft's maintenance history, particularly a servicing event six weeks prior.

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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.