WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a two-day investigative hearing beginning Tuesday at its Washington, D.C. headquarters into the November 2025 crash of UPS Flight 2976. The hearing agenda includes testimony from witnesses representing UPS, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Boeing.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, bound for Honolulu with a full load of jet fuel. The plane reached an altitude of 30 feet before crashing and exploding in a fireball. Fifteen people were killed, including all three pilots.
In January 2026, the NTSB released an investigative update focusing on the engine-to-wing mounting system of the MD-11. A spherical bearing on Flight 2976 had cracked, and investigators said the same component had failed on four previous MD-11 aircraft.
Boeing warned MD-11 operators about the spherical bearing problem in 2011 but did not believe at the time that the issue posed a threat to flight safety, according to the investigative update. Boeing updated the MD-11 service manual to include a visual inspection of the spherical bearing.
The FAA grounded all MD-11 aircraft shortly after the Louisville crash pending further investigation. Earlier in May 2026, the agency allowed the planes to return to service after Boeing issued updated instructions to operators. The FAA approved Boeing's protocol for safely returning MD-11 airplanes to service. The protocol includes a new bearing in the engine mount on each side of the aircraft, according to FedEx.
"We continue to support the investigation led by the NTSB, including the upcoming investigative hearing. We extend our deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones in this accident." a Boeing spokesperson said.
FedEx resumed flying MD-11 jets earlier in May 2026. "Over the past several months, our airline safety, engineering, and maintenance teams have conducted rigorous safety inspections, maintenance, and planning to prepare our MD-11 fleet to return to service." a FedEx spokesperson said. The company said two MD-11s have returned to revenue service so far, and additional jets will resume flying after they have been repaired and inspected.
UPS said its MD-11 fleet would remain grounded. UPS Chief Executive Officer Carol Tomé said the company will retire all MD-11 aircraft in its fleet and replace the remaining 26 planes with Boeing 767s.