New documents released by crash investigators reveal that UPS never mandated the detailed inspections necessary to detect a critical flaw that led to an engine detaching from one of its planes before a fatal crash. This oversight occurred despite Boeing having recommended such inspections years earlier.
However, in its submission to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), UPS contended that it did not require these enhanced bearing inspections within the pylons—the structures connecting engines to wings on its MD-11 freighters—because Boeing had incorrectly stated that a failure of these bearings would not compromise flight safety.
