Boeing knew about a critical aircraft part failure for over a decade before it contributed to a devastating crash that killed 15 Americans, yet the aviation giant dismissed it as non-critical—a deadly miscalculation that exposes how corporate priorities continue to override public safety.
Story Highlights
- Boeing documented four bearing race failures in 2011 but deemed them non-safety critical
- UPS Flight 2976 crashed in November 2025, killing 15 people, including a child
- NTSB found identical fatigue cracks in the crashed aircraft’s pylon assembly
- Entire MD-11 fleet grounded as investigation reveals systemic inspection gaps
Boeing’s Decade-Old Warning Goes Unheeded
The National Transportation Safety Board revealed that Boeing issued a service letter in 2011 documenting four bearing race failures across three MD-11 aircraft. Despite this documented pattern of structural failures, Boeing’s engineers determined these cracks posed no safety-of-flight risk.
This assessment proved catastrophically wrong when viewed against the November 2025 crash of UPS Flight 2976, which killed three crew members and twelve people on the ground, including a child.
Cracked part in fatal UPS crash flagged in 2011 by Boeing via CNBC:https://t.co/0BbJbY0ADN
A cracked part found on a UPS MD-11 cargo jet that crashed in November in Kentucky was reportedly flagged in a Boeing service letter more than a decade earlier.— 🌊💙 Viking Resistance 💙🌊 (@BlueCrewViking) January 15, 2026
The bearing race, a critical component in the left pylon aft mount that secures the engine to the wing, showed clear signs of long-term fatigue and overstress fractures.
NTSB investigators found displaced, fractured pieces identical to those described in Boeing’s 2011 advisory. The crash occurred shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, impacting an industrial area and devastating the local community.
Aging Aircraft Fleet Reveals Systemic Failures
The MD-11, originally manufactured by McDonnell Douglas before Boeing’s acquisition, entered service in the 1990s as a widebody freighter. These aircraft endure high-cycle cargo operations over decades, making their pylon assemblies particularly susceptible to metal fatigue.
Aviation safety experts warn that aging freighter fleets are subject to accumulated structural stress that current inspection protocols fail to adequately address.
Boeing’s 2011 service letter identified visual indicators of bearing race failures by displaced fractured pieces, yet no mandatory inspection requirements were issued.
This regulatory gap allowed potentially compromised aircraft to continue operations for over a decade. The crash wreckage now undergoes analysis at the NTSB Materials Laboratory, with investigators reviewing flight recorder data to establish the complete failure sequence.
Corporate Accountability and Safety Oversight Under Fire
The revelation intensifies scrutiny of Boeing’s safety culture and the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight capabilities. Boeing maintained its 2011 assessment that bearing race failures presented no flight safety issues, despite recurring evidence across multiple aircraft.
This pattern mirrors previous Boeing controversies, in which corporate liability concerns appeared to influence safety determinations rather than genuine risk assessment.
UPS Airlines faces operational disruptions as the entire MD-11 fleet remains grounded pending the results of the investigation. The crash investigation continues with no probable cause yet determined, though NTSB findings already highlight critical gaps in maintenance protocols for aging cargo aircraft.
Final recommendations may mandate enhanced pylon inspections across freighter fleets, potentially affecting industry-wide maintenance standards and operational costs.
Sources:
NTSB says Boeing issued service advisory in 2011 on MD-11 part
Boeing warned of faulty part years before deadly UPS crash but didn’t see it as risk
