Shocking Revelation: Metal Fatigue Blamed for Engine Detachment in Recent Aircraft Incident

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has attributed a fatal UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky, to severe metal fatigue in the aircraft's engine mount. This shocking revelation comes after a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, en route to Hawaii, experienced an engine detachment during takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 4. The incident resulted in the tragic deaths of all three crew members and 11 individuals on the ground, with 23 others injured, as the plane erupted into flames and crashed into a storage yard and petroleum recycling facility.

Preliminary reports from the NTSB detail the discovery of fatigue cracks and overstress failure within the engine mount components connecting the left engine to the wing. As the 34-year-old aircraft accelerated down the runway, the General Electric engine separated, striking the fuselage and igniting a fire that persisted until the crash. Investigators noted the aircraft struggled to gain altitude and rolled left before impact. While UPS had conducted a visual inspection of the left pylon just seven days prior and a full engine mount inspection in 2021, the NTSB's findings raise critical questions about the efficacy and frequency of current maintenance protocols for aging aircraft.

In response to the incident, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive, grounding all MD-11 aircraft until individual inspections and necessary repairs could be completed. UPS proactively grounded its MD-11 fleet, which constitutes approximately nine percent of its total aircraft. Aviation experts, including former federal crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti, suggest the FAA will now reevaluate the adequacy of existing maintenance timeframes, particularly given the significant costs associated with extensive inspections or replacements for carriers like UPS and FedEx, which operate these older aircraft.

The NTSB report also drew parallels to a 1979 American Airlines DC-10 crash in Chicago, where an engine and pylon assembly also separated. While circumstances differed, both incidents highlight the vulnerability of engine pylon attachments on these aircraft types. Experts advocate for reevaluating maintenance schedules and incorporating advanced, high-tech methods beyond visual inspections to detect metal fatigue. The future of the MD-11 fleet, already nearing retirement for many operators, remains uncertain as the industry grapples with the implications of these findings and the need for enhanced safety measures for older commercial aircraft.