Name: Dramatic photos show UPS plane on fire before crash in new NTSB report
Uploaded: 2025-11-21T02:40:04.672Z
Duration: 1 min 27 s
Description: Federal investigators released their preliminary report on the deadly crash of a UPS cargo plane in Louisville, Kentucky.

Federal investigators released their preliminary report on the deadly crash of a UPS cargo plane in Louisville, Kentucky.

Louisville

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released dramatic images and a preliminary report on the UPS Flight 2976 crash near Louisville, Kentucky. The report shows the left engine of the 34-year-old MD-11 cargo plane detached during takeoff, causing a fire and subsequent crash that killed three people on board and eleven on the ground.

Investigators identified fatigue cracks in the metal components attaching the engine to the wing as the cause of the separation. Following the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all remaining MD-11 and DC-10 aircraft for inspection. UPS has expressed condolences and pledged full cooperation with the ongoing investigation.

Dramatic photos show UPS plane on fire before crash in new NTSB report

Tonight, our first look at what may have caused the tragic crash of UPS Flight 2976. The National Transportation Safety Board released dramatic new images of the moment the aircraft met disaster, taken from a Louisville airport security camera. They show the left engine tearing loose from the 34-year-old MD-11 cargo plane just as it began to lift off the ground, separating with enough force to send the roughly five-ton burning engine flying over the wing. With its wing on fire, the jet struggles to climb, reaching only about 30 feet before its landing gear hit a warehouse and the plane slammed into the ground, igniting an inferno fueled by the more than 250,000 pounds of fuel for its flight to Honolulu. The newly released NTSB preliminary report into the crash that killed three on board and 11 more on the ground says investigators found evidence of fatigue cracks in the metal components attaching the engine to the wing. That is a very significant finding right there. That's what caused the engine to separate. Former NTSB Chair Robert Sumwalt. Think of a paperclip. When you take that paperclip and go this way and that way and this way and that way, eventually it's going to break. And that's basically what metal fatigue is doing. Following the November 4th crash, the FAA grounded all remaining MD-11 and DC-10 aircraft pending inspections. UPS says it continues to grieve the lives lost in the crash and will fully support the investigation. Chris Van Cleave, CBS News, Houston.

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