What happened
On November 4, 2025, at approximately 1714 EST, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F cargo aircraft, registration N259UP, crashed shortly after takeoff from runway 17R at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF). The flight, operated by United Parcel Service (UPS), was a domestic cargo mission traveling from Louisville to Honolulu, Hawaii.
During the takeoff roll, the aircraft's rotation proceeded normally. However, shortly after rotation, airport surveillance video captured the left engine and its pylon separating from the wing. A fire ignited on the left engine as it moved above the fuselage and struck the ground. While the aircraft initially climbed, it did not exceed approximately 30 feet above ground level. The left main landing gear struck the roof of a UPS Supply Chain Solutions warehouse, and the aircraft subsequently impacted a storage yard and two additional buildings, including a petroleum recycling facility. The wreckage was consumed by fire.
The accident resulted in 3 fatal injuries to the crewmembers and 11 fatal injuries to individuals on the ground. Additionally, 23 people on the ground sustained injuries.
The investigation
NTSB investigators examined the wreckage and recovered both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. Examination of the left pylon aft mount's forward and aft lugs revealed fractures. Specifically, the aft lug showed evidence of fatigue cracks in addition to overstress failure on both the inboard and outboard fracture surfaces. The forward lug also exhibited fatigue cracks on its inboard fracture surface.
Maintenance records indicated that the aircraft had accumulated 92,990 hours and 21,043 cycles. While a 72-month detailed visual inspection of the left pylon aft mount had been completed in 2021, two required special detailed inspections (SDI) for the pylon lugs and wing clevis support had not yet been performed, as the aircraft had not yet reached the required cycle thresholds.