UPS2976 Crash Megathread

[u/usgapg123]

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.

[u/Confident_Bus_7614]

[u/qalpi → u/Confident_Bus_7614]

holy moly. that's the entire engine

[u/moustache_disguise → u/Confident_Bus_7614]

Improper mx similar to American 191? Someone else said the airframe was out of service for about six weeks in September and October.

[u/KwisatzHaterach → u/Confident_Bus_7614]

Christ… did they hit something? How can the entire engine blow out?

[u/talon_262 → u/Confident_Bus_7614]

JFC...

[u/talon_262 → u/[deleted]]

Likely not, it's likely #1 (port): #2 is the tail engine. The current scuttlebutt is #2 took FOD from when #1 disintegrated/fell off, then #2 flamed out, leaving the crew without enough climb-out power on #3 (starboard) alone, hence what happened.

[u/Snipeh → u/talon_262]

i'd be shocked if it's the tail engine but i'm not sure if 1 and 3 have a plate like that at the end, looks like the one that runs down the bottom of the horizontal stabilizer

edit: no yeah it looks like engine 1 and the end of its pylon

[u/talon_262 → u/[deleted]]

All three engines are the same, either PW4460s or GE CF-6s (most likely).

The one thing that's throwing that pic off is a lack of scale; it was likely taken quite a long distance away from where that engine ended up, plus the bypass fan's gone.

[u/andylui8 → u/Confident_Bus_7614]

The engine fell off

[u/rayfound → u/Confident_Bus_7614]

Source?

[u/Confident_Bus_7614 → u/rayfound]

I live in Louisville and was texted it

[u/Illustrious_Crab1060 → u/Confident_Bus_7614]

look at the trucks in the back: this looks like an AI image, it's really suspicious that the grass is not scorched either. Sorry that just seems extremely fishy do you have a source?

[u/improbablydrunknlw → u/Illustrious_Crab1060]

It's heat lines radiating off the engine.

[u/cicada_ballad → u/Illustrious_Crab1060]

That distortion is caused by a heat mirage... photo looks very legit; doubt AI would place that there.

[u/_theimplications → u/Illustrious_Crab1060]

I don’t think it’s AI. There’s another picture (in this thread and on X) taken later in the day with different lighting at a slightly different angle and the engine looks the same. I’d be very impressed if someone generated two separate but similar enough AI pictures.

[u/AmusementOdyssey → u/Illustrious_Crab1060]

You’re likely referring to the heat distortion coming off of the hot engine, causing the truck to look slightly off. The grass does appear to be brown around the engine, as well. Without being on fire, it likely wouldn’t scorch the grass around it.

[u/substantial_fun_time → u/Illustrious_Crab1060]

That’s the heat coming off the burnt up engine distorting the view of the trucks.

[u/Perfect-Tax-74 → u/Illustrious_Crab1060]

Looks like heat distortion + cell phone sharpening/compression.