Cirrus SR22, N1547C, incident occurred on November 19, 2025, at Santa Monica Airport (SMO/KSMO), Santa Monica, California

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this post will be corrected when the preliminary report is released.

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N1547C

- History of Flight:
On November 19, 2025, at about 1047 local time, a Cirrus SR22, N1547C, sustained unknown damage when it was involved in an incident at Santa Monica Airport (SMO/KSMO), Santa Monica, California. The pilot and passenger were not injured.

The FAA reported that; "Pilot did not get enough airspeed on departure and ran off the end of the runway then became disabled."

Runway 21 is asphalt/grooved 3500 x 150 ft. ADS-B data shows that the airplane used the entire runway for takeoff, and that the takeoff was aborted halfway down the runway at about 93 knots groundspeed.

Figure 1: ADS-B exchange data

Rutan Long-EZ, N82MT, accident occurred on November 19, 2025, near Beaufort, South Carolina

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this post will be corrected when the preliminary report is released.

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N82MT

- History of Flight:
On November 19, 2025, at about 1619 local time, a privately-registered Rutan Long-EZ, N82MT, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Beaufort, South Carolina. The sole pilot onboard was not injured. The flight originated from the Norfolk-Chesapeake Regional Airport (KCPK), Norfolk, Virginia, and was destined to an unknown location.

Preliminary ADS-B data tracked the airplane south for about 2h30m. Towards the end of the flight, the airplane was last seen descending through 300 ft northeast of the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort/Merritt Field (KNBC), Beaufort, South Carolina. The FAA reported that the airplane crashed for unknown reasons and became submerged in a marsh.

Piper PA-24-260 Comanche, N8566P, incident occurred on November 19, 2025, at Cape Cod Gateway Airport (HYA/KHYA), Hyannis, Massachusetts

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this post will be corrected when the preliminary report is released.

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N8566P

- History of Flight:
On November 19, 2025, at about 1000 local time, a Piper PA-24-260 Comanche, N8566P, sustained unknown damage when it was involved in a gearup landing at Cape Cod Gateway Airport (HYA/KHYA), Hyannis, Massachusetts. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight originated from Nantucket Memorial Airport (ACK/KACK), Nantucket, MA, and was destined to KHYA.

The FAA reported that the airplane executed an intentional gear-up landing on runway 33 due to the landing gear failing to lock.

Grumman American AA-5 Traveler, N9543L, incident occurred on November 19, 2025, near Rockport, Texas

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this post will be corrected when the preliminary report is released.

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N9543L

- History of Flight:
On November 19, 2025, at about 1338 local time, a Grumman American AA-5 Traveler, N9543L, registered to 10 Skies LLC out of Corpus Christi, TX, sustained unknown damage in a forced landing near Rockport, Texas. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight reportedly originated from the Aransas County Airport (KRKP), Rockport, Texas, and was destined to Corpus Christi International Airport (KCRP), Corpus Christi, Texas.

The FAA reported that the airplane executed a forced landing after engine failure in a field approximately 7 miles northwest of RKP.

Boeing 737 MAX 8, N17327, accident occurred on October 16, 2025, near Moab, Utah

• Location: Moab, UT 
• Accident Number: DCA26LA012 
• Date & Time: October 16, 2025, 06:43 Local 
• Registration: N17327 
• Aircraft: Boeing 737 
• Injuries: 1 Minor, 111 None 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 121: Air carrier - Scheduled

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/201877/pdf

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N17327

On October 16, 2025, at 0643 mountain daylight time (MDT), United Airlines (UAL) flight 1093, a Boeing 737-8, N17327, was involved in a midair collision with an object while in cruise flight near Moab, Utah. Although the captain sustained minor injuries, none of the other 111 occupants onboard the airplane were injured. The scheduled domestic passenger flight was operating under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 from Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver, Colorado to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Los Angeles, California. Following the incident, the flight diverted to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), Salt Lake City, Utah.

According to the captain, while established in cruise flight at flight level 360 (36,000 ft pressure altitude), he noticed an object distant on the horizon. Before he could mention the object to the first officer (FO), there was a significant impact to the FO’s forward windshield along with a loud bang. The impact resulted in both pilots being showered with pieces of glass. The captain sustained multiple superficial lacerations to his right arm; the FO was uninjured.

Following the event, the flight crew coordinated with air traffic control and initiated a descent. The cabin pressurization remained stable, with no fluctuations throughout the flight. The captain transferred control of the airplane to the FO while he conducted associated checklists and communicated with dispatch and the flight attendants (FAs). During this time, the FO’s window overheat light illuminated and the crew addressed it per the applicable checklist. After coordination with dispatch, the crew selected SLC as the most suitable diversion airport. The captain notified the passengers of the diversion and FAs were briefed to prepare the cabin for landing. The captain then initiated self-care to clean, sterilize, and bandage his wounds on his arm.

The captain subsequently resumed pilot flying duties for descent and landing. The flight was vectored for an ILS approach to runway 16L at SLC. The approach and landing were uneventful. The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power, escorted by airport rescue and firefighting vehicles. Upon arrival at the gate, emergency medical personnel provided the captain with first aid. There were no other reported injuries.

After the event was reported, data was requested for the position of weather balloons, any other aircraft, and for any known reentry objects that were large enough to have signification portions survive that might have been in the area of the collision. WindBorne Systems Inc. reported that they lost contact with one of their global sounding balloons (GSBs) that was in the vicinity of the airplane at the time of the accident. The GSB was launched from Spokane, Washington at 1129 MDT on October 15, 2025. The balloon traveled south from Washington, down through Oregon and Nevada before turning northeast, and was crossing though Utah at the time of the accident. 

There was a Notice to Airman, GEG 10/068, issued at 816 MDT for the balloon launch operations at Spokane that expired at 1700 MDT the same day, October 15, 2025. The GSB stopped communicating with the ground on October 16, 2025, between 0636:16 and 0643:36 MDT. The last communication from the GSB reported that the pressure altitude was 35,936 ft (which had been oscillating between 35,800 and 36,200 ft over the preceding hour). The GSB self-reported location was latitude 38.53142N and longitude 109.41600W and the wind was 73 knots from the southwest.

According to WindBorne, the GSB is a lightweight, long duration high-altitude weather balloon platform operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 101.1. It is an unmanned free balloon.

The GSB system consists of a balloon envelope filled with lift gas, an avionics package for flight control, communications, and sensing, and a ballast system for altitude control. According to Windborne the GSBs are designed with the intent to minimize harm in the event of an impact during flight or landing. No large metal or high-stiffness structural elements are employed. The balloon envelope and the ballast container are a thin, low tensile strength, plastic film. The silica ballast is relatively low density and low grain-size.

The windshield installed in N17327 was manufactured by PPG Aerospace and was designed to withstand the flight and pressurization loads encountered during flight while providing visibility for the pilots. From outboard to inboard, the windshield consists of a thermally tempered glass pane, a conductive heating film for deice capabilities, a urethane interlayer, a vinyl interlayer, a urethane interlayer, and a thermally tempered glass pane. The windshield is surrounded by a stainless-steel z-bar encased in a moisture seal to attach it to the fuselage. A coating is applied to the outer surface of the outboard pane to improve the ability to shed water in rainy conditions.

Windshields are certified to withstand the impact of a four-pound bird without penetration, to be capable of withstanding the maximum cabin pressurization loads with the failure of a single pane, and the internal pane must be non-splintering. The inboard pane of glass is considered a structural pane, the vinyl interlayer is considered a structural fail-safe pane, and the outboard pane of glass is considered a non-structural pane for this design. The damaged right windshield from the accident airplane, P/N 29-5612-9-9008, S/N 23089H0823, was manufactured on March 30, 2023. The damaged windshield was removed from the airplane and sent to the NTSB Materials Lab in Washington, DC for examination. 

In addition, the flight data and the cockpit voice recorder were sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory in Washington, DC. A preliminary review of the data from the cockpit voice and flight data recorders revealed that at the time of the collision, the airplane’s track was to the southwest at 233° magnetic (nearly the reciprocal of the balloon track), at a pressure altitude of 36,002 ft, and a groundspeed of 395 knots.

As part of the investigative process, the NTSB invited the qualified parties to participate in the investigation. These included the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), WindBorne, Boeing, and United Airlines. The following NTSB specialists were assigned: Cockpit Voice Recorder, Flight Data Recorder, Materials Engineering, Meteorology, Aircraft Performance, Operations and Air Traffic Control.

This investigation is ongoing.

Cirrus SR22T GTS G6 carbon, N740TS, fatal accident occurred on October 24, 2025, near Lincoln Airport (S69), Lincoln, Montana

• Location: Lincoln, MT 
• Accident Number: WPR26FA032 
• Date & Time: October 24, 2025, 21:15 Local 
• Registration: N740TS 
• Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22T 
• Injuries: 1 Fatal 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal 

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/201919/pdf

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N740TS

On October 24, 2025 at 2115 mountain daylight time, a Cirrus SR22T, N740TS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Lincoln, Montana. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot’s brother, who was also a partial owner of the airplane, stated they spoke with one another on the telephone a few hours before the pilot departed. He stated that on the day of the accident, the pilot decided he wanted to join him for a hunting trip that started the following morning, and was debating between driving or flying. They decided he would fly to Lincoln Airport (S69), despite never having landed there before, because it was closer to the camp where they would be staying. They briefed the flight together and reviewed the weather. The brother monitored the airplane with live flight tracking data online and arrived at the airport about 2120, observing the runway lights were illuminated, but the airplane was not at the airport.

A video camera located in the town of Lincoln captured footage of the airplane’s lights in its last minute of the flight. The airplane’s recoverable data module (RDM) was recovered from the accident site and preliminary information was downloaded. A review of the data revealed that the airplane departed from the pilot’s home base in Spokane, Washington about 2010. The airplane continued on a direct route southeast to Lincoln at an altitude of 9,700 ft mean sea level (msl). About an hour after departure, the airplane was 17 nm from S69 and the autopilot mode was changed to selected altitude mode (ALTS), which was previously entered to be 6,000 ft.

As the airplane descended into the valley at 2112:39, about 1,150 ft above ground level (agl), the pilot lowered the flaps to 50%. The airplane continued to descend and full flaps (100%) were selected 17 seconds later. The airplane aligned with Highway 200, an east-west oriented road that passed directly through the town of Lincoln. (See Figure 1). While flying over the highway, descending to an altitude of 150 ft agl, the indicated airspeed was between 77 and 87 kts. The airplane then began a gradual climb and the flaps were retracted to 50%, where they remained until impact. 

The airplane passed over the town and momentarily crossed to the south side of the highway as it maneuvered toward the airport. (See Figure 2). At 2114:43 the airplane was north of the runway near midfield about 1,030 ft agl. The airplane then made a left turn near the airport’s beacon light and was on a north heading while descending to 575 ft agl. During the descent, at 2114:51 the Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) activated. The airplane began to climb 5 seconds later and full power was added about 2115:00. A steep left bank was initiated and the stall warning activated at 2115:06 as the airspeed slowed to 50 kts. Immediately thereafter, the autopilot and yaw damper disconnected. A second stall warning activated and the left-bank continued to steepen while the airplane descended rapidly to the accident site. During the 7 second descent, there was another TAWS alert at which time the engine remained at full power. 

The accident site was located on flat terrain in a sparsely populated neighborhood north of the airport. The terrain consisted of soft dirt and there were numerous trees immediately surrounding the accident site. The accident site was at an elevation of about 4,600 ft and located 3,355 ft from the runway surface. (See Figure 3).

The airplane came to rest with the nose oriented on a northerly heading, opposite the direction of the debris field. The wreckage was scattered over a 275-foot area, with the most distant debris, primarily windscreen fragments, located south of the main wreckage. The majority of the main wreckage had sustained significant thermal damage that was consistent with the post-impact fire.

At the beginning of the debris field was a group of mature aspen trees that were severed at various heights. (See Figure 4). The damage and cuts in the trees were progressively lower in height moving toward the main wreckage. Close examination of the cuts in the trees revealed that paint chips were embedded in the fresh tree cuts. The left-wing spar was separated about six feet inboard from the wingtip; there was composite material similar in appearance to the spar found embedded in a downed tree top. The left main landing gear was separated from its respective gearbox, consistent with impact with a tree. 

The airport was equipped with pilot-activated medium intensity runway lights (MIRL) and a 2- light precision approach path indicator (PAPI) on the left side of runway 04. The lights remained illuminated for 15 minutes after activation. A review of FAA aviation weather camera imagery at the airport revealed that the runway lights were illuminated sometime between 2109-2111.

According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, the phase of the moon was waxing crescent with 11.5% of the moon's visible disk illuminated. Sunset was at 1827 and civil twilight was at 1857. 

Moon set was at 1935 and at the time of the accident, the moon was about 14.69° below the horizon (including refraction) on an azimuth (heading) of 244°.

The pilot’s spouse stated that he would frequently take last-minute trips and was very comfortable flying the airplane. She stated that he would often fly at night, although those flights would usually terminate at his home airport, which he was familiar with. A review of the airplane’s historic ADS-B data did not reveal any recent flights that occurred after civil twilight.

Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee, N3905F, accident on October 24, 2025, at Fayette County Airport (FYE/KFYE), Somerville, Tennessee

• Location: Somerville, TN 
• Accident Number: ERA26LA024 
• Date & Time: October 24, 2025, 18:15 Local 
• Registration: N3905F 
• Aircraft: Piper PA-28-140 
• Injuries: 1 Minor 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal  

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/201925/pdf

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N3905F

On October 24, 2025, about 1815 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N3905F, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Fayette County Airport (FYE), Somerville, Tennessee. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that there were no anomalies noted during the preflight inspection, engine run-up checks, and three previous touch-and-go landings. During the fourth takeoff, at an altitude of about 600 ft and upwind of the runway, the airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power. The pilot was unable to restore engine power, made a 180° left turn and landed in a grassy area west of the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted an airport perimeter fence before coming to rest in a grassy area about 515 ft northwest of the departure end of the runway. The airplane’s left wing separated and its fuselage and right wing also sustained substantial damage.

The airplane was retained for further examination.

Loss of control in flight: Piper PA-28-181 Archer III, N4187U, accident occurred on July 21, 2025, near Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (SIG/TJIG), San Juan, Puerto Rico

• Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico 
• Accident Number: ERA25LA275 
• Date & Time: July 21, 2025, 10:48 Local 
• Registration: N4187U 
• Aircraft: Piper PA28 
• Aircraft Damage: Substantial 
• Defining Event: Loss of control in flight 
• Injuries: 1 None 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional 

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/200596/pdf

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=200596

The student pilot reported that the accident flight was her second solo flight, and she had accumulated 0.6 hours of solo experience during her previous solo flight. She added that her flight instructor told her that she could practice soft and short field takeoffs if she felt comfortable. During the accident flight, she was attempting a soft field takeoff technique. After liftoff, the airplane drifted left and the student pilot attempted to correct with right rudder, but the airplane stalled left and impacted a parking lot. Both of the airplane’s wings and the fuselage sustained substantial damage during the accident. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures, nor did the student pilot report any. Review of an airport video recording confirmed that the airplane took off in an extreme nose high attitude before it yawed left and stalled.

- Probable Cause: The student pilot’s excessing pitch attitude during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control and aerodynamic stall.

McDonnell Douglas MD-11(F), N259UP, fatal accident occurred on November 4, 2025, at Louisville-Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF/KSDF), Louisville, Kentucky

• Location: Louisville, KY 
• Date & Time: November 4, 2025, 17:14 Local 
• Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-11F
• Accident Number: DCA26MA024
• Registration: N259UP
• Injuries: 14 Fatal, 2 Serious, 21 Minor
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 121: Air carrier - Non-scheduled

https://www.ntsb.gov/Documents/Prelimiary%20Report%20DCA26MA024.pdf

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N259UP

On November 4, 2025, about 1714 eastern standard time (EST),United Parcel Service (UPS) flight 2976, a Boeing (McDonnell-Douglas) MD-11F airplane, N259UP, was destroyed after it impacted the ground shortly after takeoff from runway 17R at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), Louisville, Kentucky. The 3 crewmembers aboard the airplane and 11 people on the ground were fatally injured. There were 23 others on the ground who were injured. Flight 2976 was a domestic cargo flight operating under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 from SDF to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Honolulu, Hawaii.

In response to the accident, the NTSB traveled to SDF on November 5, 2025, and started the process of documenting the accident site, and collecting the perishable data necessary for the investigation. As part of the investigative process, the NTSB invited qualified parties to participate in the investigation. These included the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), UPS, The Boeing Company, Independent Pilots Association (IPA), General Electric (GE) Aerospace, and Teamsters Airline Division.

The parties were formed into specialized investigative groups led by NTSB group chairmen in the areas of Structures, Systems, Powerplants, Maintenance, Air Carrier Operations and Human Performance, Hazardous Materials, Aircraft Performance, Materials, Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), and Flight Data Recorder (FDR). A NTSB Air Traffic Controller (ATC) specialist was on site to collect ATC information, but an ATC group was not formed. NTSB Board Member Inman was the Board Member on scene.

History of Flight 

UPS flight 2976 received their takeoff clearance from SDF ATC tower about 1711 and the flight crew acknowledged the takeoff clearance. The taxi and takeoff roll were uneventful until the airplane rotated for takeoff. Airport surveillance video of the airplane showed the left (No. 1) engine and pylon separating from the wing shortly after airplane rotation, with a fire igniting on the left engine while it traversed above the fuselage and subsequently impacted the ground (see figure 1). A fire ignited near the area of the left pylon attachment to the wing, which continued until ground impact.

The airplane initially  climbed but did not  get higher  than  about  30 ft  above  ground  level  (agl) according to  radio  altitude  data  from the FDR. (Based  on FAA-provided  ADS-B  data, the last data  point  showed  481  ft  mean  sea  level [msl] and 100 ft  agl.)  The airplane  cleared the blast fence beyond the end of runway 17R, but the left main landing gear impacted the roof  of  a UPS Supply  Chain  Solutions  warehouse  at  the southern  edge  of  the airport  (see  figures  2 and 3). The airplane then impacted a storage yard and two additional buildings, including a petroleum recycling facility, and was mostly consumed by fire. The wreckage area continued from the UPS warehouse to about 3,000 ft south-southeast of it (see figure 4). The accident site debris was centered about 38° 8' 49.85" north by 85° 44' 3.86" west.

A witness in the SDF ATC tower reported that the takeoff speed appeared normal for that type of aircraft; however, the climb rate was not normal, as the airplane did not climb above the tower's height of approximately 200 feet agl. Another witness reported that the airplane stopped climbing and began to lose altitude before rolling slightly to the left.

Crew Experience

The captain, who was the pilot monitoring, held an airline transport pilot certificate with a type rating for the MD-11. The captain had accumulated about 8,613 total hours of flight experience as reported to the FAA, of which 4,918 hours were in the accident airplane make and model. 

The first officer (FO), who was the pilot flying, held an airline transport pilot certificate  with a type rating for the MD-11. The FO had accumulated about 9,200 total hours of flight experience as reported to the FAA, of which about 994 hours were in the accident airplane make and model.

The relief officer (RO) held an airline transport pilot certificate with a type rating for the MD-11. The RO had accumulated about 15,250 total hours of flight experience as reported to the FAA, of which 8,775 hours were in the accident airplane make and model.

Recorders 

The airplane was equipped with a FDR and a CVR, which were both recovered from the accident scene and transported to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, DC. Data from both the CVR and FDR were downloaded successfully. The CVR contained about 2 hours and 4 minutes of recorded data, including the entirety of the accident flight. The FDR contained about 63 hours of data that spanned 24 flights, including the accident flight. The FDR recorded about 450 parameters of flight data. The flight data for the accident flight started about 1707 EST, with the takeoff roll starting about 1712 EST. The flight data ended about 1713:30 EST. The NTSB convened separate CVR and FDR Groups, composed of qualified party members, for transcribing the accident flight recording from the CVR and validating the flight data from the FDR, respectively.

Airplane and Operator Information 

The MD-11 is a three-engine widebody passenger airplane originally manufactured by McDonnell-Douglas, which subsequently merged with The Boeing Company. The MD-11Fis the freighter version of the MD-11. The MD-11 can be equipped with either GE CF-6 series or Pratt and Whitney PW4000 series engines. The accident airplane was equipped with GE CF-6 engines. The MD-11 was developed from the McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 series airplane.

UPS is a cargo airline and is based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company operates a variety of aircraft including Boeing 757-200F, 767-300F, A300-600F, MD-11 F, 747-400F, and 747-BF airplanes. As part of FAA requirements, the accident airplane was equipped with ADS-B Out.

MD-11 Engine Pylon-to-Wing Connection

The left (No. 1) and right (No. 3) engines of the MD-11 airplane are attached to the underside of pylons that are in turn attached to the underside of each wing. The center (No. 2) engine is attached to the base of the vertical stabilizer. The left and right pylon attaches to their respective wing via a forward mount bulkhead, a thrust link assembly, and an aft mount bulkhead. (For simplification, this report will refer to these bulkheads  as the "forward mount" and the "aft mount".) The forward mount contains two spherical bearings that are vertically aligned (upper and lower) that attach to the wing.

The thrust link assembly, located immediately behind the forward mount's lower spherical bearing, primarily transmits thrust loads. The pylon aft mount is an assembly composed of two independent  fittings bolted together, with lugs (forward lug and aft lug) that house a single spherical bearing (see figures 5 and 6). For this report, references to the pylon aft mount spherical bearing includes both the bearing's ball element (sphere) and its outer race. A clevis on the underside of each wing ("wing clevis") connects to the pylon aft mount via attachment hardware.

Recovery Operations and Wreckage Examination

The airplane wreckage was spread over a wide area and significantly fragmented and burned. The left engine, left pylon, including its forward and aft  mounts, fragments of engine fan blades, and separated pieces from the left engine were found on and adjacent to runway 17R. Recovered portions were transferred to a secure hangar on the airport property for further examination by investigators. 

The left pylon aft mount's forward and aft  lugs were both found fractured near their 2 o'clock (inboard fracture) and 9 o'clock (outboard fracture) positions when in the aft-looking-forward frame of reference (see figure 7). The fractured and separated upper portions of the forward and aft lugs were found adjacent to runway 17R. The left wing clevis, aft mount spherical bearing, and aft mount attachment hardware were found with a portion of the left wing at the accident site. The bolt, spherical bearing, and associated hardware remained attached to the wing clevis. The spherical bearing outer race had fractured circumferentially, exposing the ball element (see figure 8). 

The right engine remained attached to the right wing pylon, both found at the accident site. The right wing pylon-to-wing forward and aft mounts had separated from the right wing pylon but were found about 87 ft from the right engine. The right pylon aft mount remained attached to the right wing clevis.

NTSB Materials Laboratory Examination

The left pylon aft mount, fractured lugs from the left pylon aft mount, and the left wing clevis (containing the aft mount spherical bearing and attachment hardware) were retained for further examination at the NTSB Materials Laboratory (see figure 9). The right pylon aft mount and wing clevis assembly as well as two  engine fan blade fragments found on runway 17R were also retained for further examination at the NTSB Materials Laboratory.

After initial cleaning of the fracture surfaces, examination of the left pylon aft mount lug fractures found evidence of fatigue cracks in addition to areas of overstress failure. On the aft lug, on both the inboard and outboard fracture surfaces, a fatigue crack was observed where the aft lug bore met the aft lug forward face. For the forward lug's inboard fracture surface, fatigue cracks were observed along the lug bore. For the forward lug's outboard fracture surface, the fracture consisted entirely of overstress with no indications of fatigue cracking. The forward top flange of the aft mount assembly was examined for indications of deformation or pre-existing fractures, but no indications were found. The spherical bearing was removed from the wing clevis for further evaluation (see figure 10).

Maintenance and Inspections

At the time of the accident, N259UP had accumulated a total time of about 92,992 hours and 21,043 cycles. The accident airplane was maintained under a continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP). A review of the inspection tasks for the left pylon aft mount found both a general visual inspection (GVI) and a detailed visual inspection of the left pylon aft mount, required by UPS's maintenance program at a 72-month interval, was last accomplished on October 28, 2021. A 24-month/4,800 hour lubrication task of the pylon thrust links and pylon spherical bearings was last accomplished on October 18, 2025. A special detailed inspection (SDI) of the left pylon aft mount lugs would have been due at 29,200 cycles and of the left wing clevis support would have been due at 28,000 cycles. The accident airplane records showed these two SDI tasks had not been accomplished (the airplane had 21,043 cycles)

Safety Actions

UPS grounded their MD-11 fleet on November 7, 2025, as a precautionary measure and at the recommendation of Boeing. The FAA issued Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2025-23-51 on November 8, 2025, that prohibited further flight of MD-11 and MD-11F airplanes until they were inspected and all applicable corrective actions were performed using a method approved by the FAA Continued Operational Safety Branch (AIR-520). The FAA subsequently issued Emergency AD 2025-23-53  on November 14, 2025, which superseded Emergency AD 2025-23-51  and included both MD-11  and DC-10  series airplanes, the latter based on their similar design to the MD-11.

Similar Events

On May 25, 1979, about 1504 central daylight time, American Airlines flight 191, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10 aircraft, crashed into an open field just short of a trailer park about 4,600 ft northwest of the departure end of runway 32R at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois. Flight 191 was taking off from runway 32R. The weather was clear and the visibility was 15 miles. During the takeoff rotation, the left engine and pylon assembly and about 3 ft of the leading edge of the left wing separated from the airplane and fell to the runway. Flight 191 continued to climb to about 325 ft agl and then began to roll to the left. The airplane continued to roll to the left until the wings were past the vertical position, and during the roll, the airplane's nose pitched down below the horizon.

Flight 191 crashed into the open field and the wreckage scattered into an adjacent trailer park. The airplane was destroyed in the crash and subsequent fire. Two hundred and seventy-one persons on board Flight 191 were killed; two persons on the ground were killed, and two others were seriously injured. An old aircraft hangar, several automobiles, and a mobile home were destroyed. The NTSB investigated American Airlines flight 191 accident, see NTSB No. DCA79AA017 and aircraft accident report AAR-79-17.

The NTSB's investigation of UPS flight 2976 is ongoing.