The UPS MD-11 cargo plane in Louisville, Kentucky, suffered a catastrophic engine separation during takeoff on November 4, 2025, caused by metal fatigue in the pylon mount, sending debris flying and reigniting fears of DC-10-era design flaws, shocking the aviation community and raising urgent questions about fleet safety.

On November 4, 2025, at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky, a UPS McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo jet faced a nightmare scenario moments after liftoff.

The aircraft, loaded with cargo and crew, suffered a catastrophic failure as its left engine and pylon violently separated from the wing, sending flames and debris scattering across the runway.

Witnesses on the tarmac reported hearing a sudden, deafening roar followed by the plane lurching alarmingly to the left.

Airport surveillance footage later confirmed the horrifying sequence: the engine detaching almost immediately after the aircraft became airborne.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) quickly arrived on the scene, examining both the crash site and the recovered engine pylon.

Preliminary findings indicate metal fatigue as a central factor.

Fatigue cracks were discovered on the lugs of the pylon’s aft mount, the critical structure connecting the engine to the wing.

This revelation has prompted immediate scrutiny of the aircraft’s maintenance history, with NTSB examining records for possible oversight, improper repairs, or lingering issues carried over from older DC-10 design practices.

Experts are highlighting that while the MD-11 benefited from decades of improvements over its predecessor, structural vulnerabilities—particularly at the pylon attachment points—can still have catastrophic consequences.

Flight engineers and aviation analysts have dissected the takeoff sequence, explaining that the plane had reached speeds approaching Vr, the rotation speed at which pilots lift the nose.

“Everything looked routine until the unthinkable happened,” said one NTSB investigator.

The sudden engine separation not only reduced thrust asymmetrically but also compromised the aircraft’s control surfaces, leaving the crew in a near-impossible situation.

Fortunately, unlike many passenger flights, the cargo-only nature of this flight meant no civilian lives were lost, though the potential for disaster was immense given the heavy fuel load and dense cargo configuration.

The tragedy has reignited conversations about the similarities to the infamous American Airlines Flight 191 disaster in 1979, when a DC-10 lost an engine during takeoff from Chicago O’Hare.

In that historic incident, improper maintenance led to damage in the engine pylon, ultimately resulting in the deadliest aviation accident in U.S.history at the time.

Aviation historians note that the MD-11, while structurally upgraded, inherited key design elements from the DC-10, particularly in the pylon and engine mount configurations, making thorough inspections and maintenance crucial to prevent a recurrence of such catastrophic failures.

UPS has issued a statement expressing condolences to the crew and emphasizing that the company is cooperating fully with the NTSB investigation.

The cargo airline also stressed the importance of ongoing structural integrity checks for all MD-11 aircraft still in service worldwide.

Aviation safety experts are calling for renewed attention to pylon fatigue monitoring and the implementation of more advanced nondestructive testing methods to detect cracks before they propagate to dangerous lengths.

3D simulations of the takeoff, based on airport surveillance and telemetry, demonstrate how quickly the failure escalated.

As the plane accelerated down the runway, the left engine pylon suddenly failed, the engine separating violently and striking the left wing.

The remaining wing structure bore the sudden asymmetric load for a few terrifying seconds before the aircraft continued its brief, uncontrolled flight before emergency measures could be attempted.

The visual data, combined with eyewitness reports, provides a chilling reconstruction of the event, showing how even minor structural fatigue can cascade into disaster at high speeds.

The Louisville crash has prompted airlines and cargo operators to revisit MD-11 and legacy DC-10 fleet inspections worldwide.

Safety regulators are emphasizing that while modern aircraft incorporate redundancies, aging designs require meticulous attention to maintenance, inspection protocols, and fatigue detection technologies.

Meanwhile, the NTSB continues to compile a full report, which will likely influence maintenance and operational procedures for cargo and commercial aircraft alike.

This incident serves as a stark reminder that in aviation, decades-old design decisions, combined with material fatigue and operational pressures, can culminate in shocking events—even in 2025.

For the aviation community, the Louisville MD-11 engine separation is more than just a news story; it is a call to action to prevent history from repeating itself in the skies.