(WAVE/WKYT) – The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a two-day investigative hearing May 19–20 as part of its ongoing investigation into the crash of United Parcel Service Flight 2976, a Boeing MD-11F cargo plane that went down shortly after takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky.
The crash happened around 5:14 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 4, 2025.
The plane, operating as a domestic cargo flight from Louisville to Honolulu, was destroyed after impacting the ground shortly after takeoff. The three crewmembers aboard were killed, along with 11 people on the ground. One person on the ground who was seriously injured later died 51 days after the crash. Twenty-three others on the ground were injured.
The hearing will be held at the NTSB boardroom in Washington, D.C., and will also be livestreamed. The agenda, witness list and other details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Investigative hearings are typically held following major incidents as agencies work to determine the facts and circumstances that led to the event.
The NTSB’s preliminary report says the airplane cleared the blast fence beyond the end of Runway 17R, but the left main landing gear struck the roof of a UPS Supply Chain Solutions warehouse at the southern edge of the airport before the plane crashed into the supply yard on the other side of the fence.
The wreckage was heavily fragmented, but NTSB investigators recovered and cleaned pieces for examination. The NTSB said an examination of the left pylon aft mount lug fracture surfaces found evidence of fatigue cracking in addition to areas of overstress failure.
On the aft lug, fatigue cracking was observed on both the inboard and outboard fracture surfaces where the lug bore met the forward face. On the forward lug’s inboard fracture surface, fatigue cracking was observed along the lug bore.
Fatigue cracks are microscopic fractures that can develop over time in aircraft structures due to repeated stress, including pressurization cycles and takeoffs and landings.
The report compares the UPS Flight 2976 crash to the 1979 crash of American Airlines Flight 191 in Chicago. During takeoff rotation, the left engine and pylon assembly—and about 3 feet of the leading edge of the left wing—separated from the aircraft and fell onto the runway. The DC-10 rolled in a similar fashion before crashing into a field.
To report an incident or accident, or for public safety agencies seeking to contact the NTSB, the agency said to call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to reach a watch officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center in Washington, D.C. (24/7).