UPS never required detailed inspections of the part that caused an engine to fly off its plane before the crash, despite Boeing's earlier recommendation. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
According to documents released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), UPS never required enhanced bearing inspections inside the pylons that hold engines to the wings of its MD-11 freighters, even though Boeing recommended them years earlier. However, UPS said in its submission to the NTSB that it did not require those inspections because Boeing incorrectly stated that failure of those bearings would not jeopardize flight safety.
The plane crashed last fall while accelerating down the runway at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing all three pilots and 12 people on the ground, with 23 others injured.
The failures to conduct close inspections of key parts securing the engines were highlighted at two days of investigative hearings in May, but the documents released Wednesday provide additional details. The NTSB may not publish its final report on the cause of the crash until late this year or early next year. UPS stated that once the pylon separated from the aircraft, the crash was inevitable.
During the hearings, Boeing and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials acknowledged they misunderstood the risks of a steel bearing and metal sheath failure. Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said the actions of Boeing, UPS, the FAA, and maintenance company STE San Antonio Aerospace all contributed to the crash. Chris Hentz, vice president of STE San Antonio Aerospace, said UPS only required mechanics to check for corrosion.