"Boeing sent a warning to plane operators in 2011 about the broken part that failed in the fiery UPS plane crash in Louisville, but said it was not a safety of flight issue at the time, federal regulators said Wednesday. The shocking UPS crash, which killed 15 people, was caused by the left engine falling off and exploding as the aircraft attempted to take off."
"That same spherical bearing race was the subject of a 2011 letter from Boeing, which noted it had failed four times on three different aircraft, according to the NTSB. Boeing determined it would not result in a safety-of-flight condition, the NTSB wrote in an update. Instead, the company suggested the bearing race should be observed during routine inspections. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 that exploded in Louisville was last inspected in October 2021 and wasn't scheduled for its next inspection for another 7,000 trips."
The UPS MD-11 crashed in Louisville after its left engine fell off and exploded during takeoff, killing 15 people. The aircraft climbed only about 30 feet before the explosion. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board found a spherical bearing race in the engine mount had split in two. Boeing issued a 2011 letter noting the same bearing race had failed four times on three different aircraft and recommended monitoring it during routine inspections, but did not classify it as a safety-of-flight issue. The MD-11 had its last inspection in October 2021 and was not scheduled for another for roughly 7,000 trips. All MD-11s were grounded after the Nov. 4 crash. The DC-10 predecessor suffered a similar 1979 engine-detachment crash that killed 273 people. The NTSB will issue a final report in 10 to 16 months.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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