NTSB Finds Prior Cracks in UPS MD-11 Wing Mount Before 15-Fatal Kentucky Crash

14 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 19

Fatigue cracks in the UPS jet’s left pylon bearing race were identified before the November takeoff, the NTSB said as it opened a two-day hearing on the Louisville crash.
Boeing had flagged the cracked part in a 2011 report after four similar failures on three aircraft, and investigators said MD-11 race-part crack reports had surfaced repeatedly over the prior decade.
Airport video released by the NTSB shows the left engine tearing away on takeoff; the MD-11 could not climb on two engines and crashed into an auto-parts recycling plant, killing 15 and injuring 23.
The hearing is also examining design standards and FAA oversight over two decades, with Boeing among expected witnesses and more than 2,000 pages of crash documents newly released.
UPS retired its remaining roughly 24 MD-11s after the crash, while FedEx has resumed flying the type after the FAA lifted its post-crash grounding order; a final NTSB report is still more than a year away.

Is the deadly UPS crash a warning that a severe mechanic shortage is creating a hidden safety crisis in air cargo?

Why are MD-11s flying with an FAA-approved fix while investigators are just now publicly determining the crash's root cause?

A key part was known to be flawed for a decade. Will the NTSB hearing finally hold Boeing accountable for 15 deaths?