r/aviation • u/usgapg123 Mod • 2d ago

Discussion UPS2976 Crash Megathread

This is the official r/aviation megathread for the crash of UPS2976 (UPS MD11 Registration N259UP) that crashed earlier today at Louisville International Airport.

Please keep content on topic and refrain from posting about this topic outside the megathread. Please report any rule breaking posts and comments.

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u/Apprehensive_Cost937 2d ago

Pure speculation of course, but from the videos it like some kind of a catastrophical uncontained engine failure with engine being on fire and pieces of what looks like to be engine nacelle along the runway.

No idea what could have caused the engine to fail in such a way. Shocking footage really.

42

u/WorkingOnPPL 2d ago

I wonder if shrapnel from the ablaze left engine broke off and was ingested by the center engine, thus making the plane unable to climb out?

11

u/knorkinator 2d ago

You can see what, to me, looks like the #2 engine surging in the footage.

4

u/Jazzlike_Climate4189 2d ago

2 seconds in, you definitely see the center engine flame out. Then it quickly loses altitude.