Boeing 2011 Warning May Offer Clues into 2025 UPS Jet Crash

Boeing Co. warned operators in 2011 that a key structural component found cracked in the plane involved in November’s fatal crash of a United Parcel Service Inc. freighter had failed on prior occasions.

The planemaker issued a service letter in February of that year notifying MD-11 operators of four past failures on three different planes to a part known as the spherical bearing race, safety investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board said on Wednesday. The component helps to relieve high loads and vibrations.

They included the information in a rare update released in between the agency’s preliminary and final reports. The 2011 letter said inspection of this component would be included in checks of a structure securing the engine on the MD-11.

Both Boeing and UPS said they continue to support the NTSB’s investigation but neither commented directly on Wednesday’s update. UPS said it couldn’t, citing its role as a party to the investigation.

The NTSB said it’s reviewing how inspection instructions were incorporated in Boeing maintenance documents and manuals, as well as UPS’ application.

In addition, the agency said it was reviewing any correspondence between Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration on the topic. Boeing at the time determined the issue “would not result in a safety of flight condition,” meaning it didn’t pose a serious risk to the plane’s integrity.

“NTSB is checking to see if UPS appropriately acted on the information, and also if Boeing and the FAA placed the proper emphasis on the 2011 finding,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a former accident investigation chief for the FAA.

After the UPS crash, the FAA grounded all MD-11F cargo jets, pending inspections and certain corrective actions by operators. It’s since expanded that directive to other aircraft with similar engine-pylon designs.

A preliminary report into the UPS freighter crash revealed evidence of fatigue cracks in several sections that secured the turbine.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11F lost its left engine during takeoff from the courier’s main hub in Louisville, Kentucky, and didn’t climb higher than 30 feet before crashing, the report said. Those killed included the crew and people on the ground.

Dramatic images in the preliminary report show the engine and its pylon detaching and rocketing into the air in a fireball almost immediately after takeoff.

The MD-11 is long out of production and only flown for cargo operations today. The last passenger flight took place more than a decade ago.

Top photo: Fire and smoke mark where a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 4. Photographer: Stephen Cohen/Getty Images.