"The Engine Fell Off" | UPS Cargo Plane CRASH VIDEO

Key Concepts

• McDonnell Douglas MD-11: A wide-body trijet airliner.
• Engine Detachment: The catastrophic failure where an aircraft engine separates from the wing.
• Compressor Stall: A condition where airflow through an engine's compressor is disrupted, leading to a loss of thrust.
• Yaw Forces: Rotational forces around the vertical axis of an aircraft, often caused by asymmetric thrust.
• Lift: The force that opposes gravity and keeps an aircraft in the air.
• V1 (Decision Speed): The speed at which a pilot must decide to continue or abort takeoff.
• Maintenance Failure: A failure in the upkeep or repair of an aircraft that leads to a malfunction.
• NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board): The U.S. agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents.
• Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR): A device that records audio in the cockpit.
• Flight Data Recorder (FDR): A device that records various flight parameters.

Aircraft Crash Incident and Analysis

This video discusses a catastrophic crash of a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo aircraft, operated by KM, which resulted in four confirmed deaths and 11 injuries. The incident occurred on November 4th shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (KSDF).

Main Topics and Key Points

• Catastrophic Engine Detachment: The primary cause of the crash appears to be the catastrophic detachment of the left engine (engine number one). Remnants of this engine were found on the runway.
• Loss of Thrust and Control: The detachment of the left engine likely led to a significant loss of thrust and potentially compromised system control.
• Potential Compressor Stall: There is visual evidence suggesting a potential compressor stall in the number three engine (tail engine), possibly due to ingesting fumes or disrupted airflow from the engine detachment. This could have left the aircraft with only one viable engine.
• Aircraft Details: The crashed aircraft was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, tail number N259UP, manufactured in 1991, making it 34 years old. Its engines were certified on April 28th, 2007, over 18 years ago.
• Takeoff Procedure: The aircraft took off from runway 17 Right, utilizing the full available runway length from taxiway Alpha 8.
• Historical Precedent: The video draws a parallel to American Airlines Flight 191, a DC-10 crash on May 25th, 1979, where engine number one also detached due to a maintenance failure, resulting in 271 passenger and crew deaths, plus two on the ground.

Technical Details of Engine Failure

• Multi-Stage Tearing: Footage suggests the engine cowling (the front cover) ripped off separately from the actual turbine component, indicating a multi-stage catastrophic failure.
• Impact on Aircraft Systems: The detachment of the engine could have severed hydraulic lines, affecting rudder functionality, and potentially punctured fuel tanks, leading to the aircraft being on fire during the incident.
• Aerodynamic and Control Challenges:
  • Yaw Forces: The loss of the left engine creates significant yaw forces to the left, making the aircraft asymmetrical.
  • Loss of Lift: A hole in the wing where the engine detached would lead to a loss of lift on that side.
  • Engine Ingestion: The tail engine might ingest exhaust fumes, leading to insufficient airflow and a compressor stall.
  • Weight and Fuel Load: The aircraft was likely at maximum takeoff weight, carrying cargo and a significant amount of fuel for a long-haul flight (Kentucky to Hawaii, over 4,600 miles plus reserves), exacerbating the situation with limited engine power.
• Importance of Cool Air: Cooler outside air provides better engine performance and more thrust. Hotter air requires longer runway lengths for takeoff.
• Survivability: The video argues that with two engines likely inoperative and potential structural damage, the accident was not survivable, and pilots likely had no recourse after reaching V1.

Case Study: American Airlines Flight 191

• Root Cause: The NTSB investigation concluded that the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 was due to a maintenance failure.
• Maintenance Procedure: American Airlines sought to reduce labor by disassembling engines individually. Instead of fully disassembling components, they used forklifts to hold engines. Forklift operators, guided by voice or hand signals, could not visually inspect the engine mounting brackets, leading to potential damage.
• Progressive Damage: This damage worsened with each takeoff and landing until the catastrophic failure occurred.

Current Incident Speculation and Questions

• Maintenance History: Questions are being raised about the maintenance history of the crashed MD-11, especially given its age (34 years).
• Extended Maintenance Period: There are suggestions that the aircraft underwent an extended maintenance period between September 3rd and October 18th (approximately 6 weeks). The reason for this downtime and whether it contributed to fatigue cracks is unknown.
• Part Failure vs. Maintenance Failure: It is speculated that the failure could be due to a part failure over time, which some argue is synonymous with a maintenance failure.
• Proximity to Recycling Plant: There are unverified suggestions that the crash site was near a recycling plant with petroleum tanks, though it's unclear if this had any impact.
• Flight Activity: The aircraft had a busy flight history in the month leading up to the crash, with multiple short flights, often returning to Louisville (KSDF), suggesting it might have been its home base.

Pilot's Perspective and Limitations

• No Pilot Actionable: The presenter, a pilot, emphasizes that given the catastrophic nature of the engine detachment and subsequent events, there was likely nothing the pilots could have done to avoid the crash.
• "Aviate First": The video briefly shows footage from Flight 191 where pilots are focused on flying the aircraft ("aviate first") rather than communicating extensively.
• Loss of Control: The inability to gain altitude and the severe banking observed in the Flight 191 footage illustrate the extreme loss of control experienced in such scenarios.

Conclusion and Takeaways

The crash of the KM MD-11 cargo aircraft appears to be a devastating event stemming from a catastrophic engine detachment, eerily similar to the American Airlines Flight 191 disaster. The age of the aircraft and its engines, coupled with potential maintenance issues or part failures, are central to the ongoing investigation. The video highlights the extreme fragility of aircraft control when faced with such a severe in-flight emergency, suggesting that in this case, the pilots were likely doomed from the moment of the initial failure. The investigation by the NTSB will be crucial in determining the precise cause.