The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on Thursday about the fatal UPS cargo plane crash in northern Kentucky, stating that its investigation found evidence of “fatigue cracks” in the aircraft’s left wing engine mount.
The Nov. 4 crash near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport destroyed businesses and other structures in the area. It left 14 people dead, including three on the aircraft.
The crash involved a UPS Airlines MD-11 bound from Louisville to Hawaii that crashed right after takeoff just south of the airport’s Grade Lane. According to the NTSB, an additional 23 people were injured in the crash.
The aircraft only got 30 feet off the ground at takeoff, the NTSB said, citing the flight data recorder.
The report contains previously unreleased photos of the plane catching fire, a detailed look at the flight path and diagrams of the plane parts.
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The series of photos shows the left engine detaching from the plane and flying up and over the wing as the aircraft rolled down the runway. The final image shows the plane slightly airborne with its left wing on fire.
According to the NTSB, the aircraft was not due for a detailed inspection of key engine mount parts that had fractures. It still needed to complete nearly 7,000 more takeoffs and landings. It was last examined in October 2021, The Associated Press reported.
The initial report showed that the taxi and takeoff roll were uneventful. An initial investigation revealed that the left engine and left pylon detached during takeoff.
The report also confirms which of the three pilots on board was flying: First Officer Lee Truitt, of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Todd Inman of the National Transportation Safety Board said the plane was seen on airport security video leaving the runway with a large plume of smoke coming from the aircraft’s left engine.
The plane lifted off the ground and cleared the airport before crashing into two businesses. Inman said the fire erupted shortly after the plane crashed.
The plane’s engine was still sitting on the airport runway, Inman added. He said that was consistent with video footage.
“It appears UPS was conducting this maintenance within the required time frame, but I’m sure the FAA is now going to ponder whether that time frame is adequate,” aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti told the AP after reading the report.