121pilot, our resident commercial pilot on Live And Let’s Fly, offers his thoughts on the recent crash of UPS Airlines Flight 2976, an MD-11 freighter that tragically crashed shortly after takeoff on November 4, 2026, in Louisville, Kentucky.
The community of Professional Pilots is a small one. Exact numbers are hard to come by but ALPA claimed at the end of 2022 that there were 76,545 Pilots employed by Part 121 carriers in the US. So, when an accident like UPS 2976 happens, it hits all of us. It’s our life and it’s what we do day in and day out.
UPS 2976: A Personal Pilot Reflection On MD-11 Crash That Killed 14 People
The visuals of the UPS accident were tough to watch. The video taken from behind clearly showed an aircraft that wasn’t climbing away. The fire was a rather spectacular visual but for pilots that was just noise. We saw an airplane that had one engine out and should have been able to climb anyway. When it didn’t, we all knew right then that this was more than just an engine failure and fire. The pylon failure that was also apparent early on was another data point, but that wasn’t the cause, per se. It was obvious that they either had some other major malfunction or, more likely, that they lost another engine when number one failed.
We now have more data though, surprisingly, given that they have to know, the NTSB has not addressed the failure of engine two. We have the stills showing the separation of engine 1 from the aircraft. We know that a fatigue fracture in the rear pylon mount led to that mount failing and the engine and pylon separating and igniting the fire on the left wing. We have video evidence of the number two or center engine belching multiple puffs of flame consistent with that engine compressor stalling. Whether that happened because the engine ingested debris from number one or from its ingesting fire or smoke is unknown. The vital point is that a critical moment in a heavy-weight takeoff they lost not one but two engines.
Sometimes Training Is Not Enough
We train every year on how to handle engine failures. I’ve literally been through hundreds of them in the simulator. In real life, I’ve had one in a multi-engine aircraft in my early days as a flight instructor, and that’s it. In 28 years and 17,000 hours of flying, it’s happened to me once and never in an airliner. That being said, I’ve long thought that if I had one in the jet, it wouldn’t even bump my heart rate up. The scenario faced by these pilots was entirely different.
It’s worth noting that this was a highly experienced crew. Captain Richard Wartenberg had 8,613 hours including 4,918 on the MD-11. The First Officer Lee Truitt who was the pilot flying had 9,200 hours of which 994 were on the MD-11. The ringer on the flight deck though, was Captain Dana Diamond. Capt. Diamond was number 5 on the UPS seniority list and the most experienced MD-11 pilot at the company with 15,520 hours of total flight time and 8,775 on the MD-11. That high level of experience in the cockpit was evident in their performance.
The near-simultaneous failure of two engines would have created a significant left yaw and rolling moment. That’s evident in the pictures the NTSB just released of the engine separation. The failure of the pylon mount and resulting engine separation would have been a significant event in itself. The compressor stalls on engine two would have sounded like a series of explosions in the tail. Yet despite these distractions and the sudden changes they induced, it’s clear that Lee was right there quickly getting the airplane to wings level and an optimum attitude. It was a virtuoso performance.
Professionals, Not Heroes
Unfortunately, with two engines out, it didn’t matter a whit. The jet simply wasn’t going to fly. I suspect Lee on the controls was totally focused on trying to keep the right attitude and speed just like he had been trained to do. He almost certainly knew that they weren’t going to make it but my guess is that he continued right up until the final fatal impact to try and fly the jet. Like any truly professional pilot, he’s going to keep doing everything in his power in the faint hope he gets lucky. Richard and Dana however, had different views.
They didn’t have controls in their hands and would have been monitoring all the gauges closely. They both certainly knew that with two engines the airplane would not fly. I can well imagine the helplessness they felt knowing that there was nothing they could do. The crew have been described by some as heroes but I don’t agree. They were professional pilots in every sense of the word who did everything right, applying every ounce of their professional skill to try and save the airplane. But on this day that wasn’t enough. I’ve never flown the MD-11 but I can well imagine what those final seconds were like.
On The DCA Crash And Thanksgiving…
When I came home after the midair at DCA earlier this year my wife held me extra hard. Since I commute to work from DCA so that one was especially close to home. I came home to my family but these three pilots didn’t. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to remember especially those three families who are dealing with the loss of a beloved husband and father. Lee left behind a wife and three sons aged 14, 9 and 3. Richard left behind a wife, a son and a daughter. Dana had two step-kids and 7 treasured grandchildren who adored their “silliest” grandfather.
This Thanksgiving as you come around the table, hopefully in a room full of family and friends, perhaps spare a moment to think of these three families and the families of the 11 other people killed in the crash who have had a loved one suddenly ripped from them. Remember that nothing is guaranteed to us. We never know what the future holds. Don’t miss the chance to spend time with your family or to hold them tight and tell them you love them while you can.
As for myself, I’m tremendously thankful for two amazing children and a wife who loves me deeply and passionately for who I am deep down. I’m thankful to have a job that I love. But more importantly, I’m thankful for all that God has done for me and that He loves me so much that He sent His Son to die for me on the cross.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” -John 14:27
image: NTSB
Well said, 121Pilot.. well said.