Episode
403 UPS MD-11 Crash Analysis + Dr. Catherine Cavagnaro on How to Make Better Landings
- Published
- Nov 7, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 3872
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Summary
In this episode of Aviation News Talk, we begin with the developing details surrounding the crash of UPS Airlines Flight 2976, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F cargo aircraft that crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky. The aircraft, tail number N259UP, was a 34-year-old MD-11F powered by three General Electric CF6-80 engines. Bystander video shows the left engine separated from the wing, with the wing engulfed in flames as the aircraft lifted off. ADS-B data indicates the aircraft climbed less than 100 feet before beginning a descending, left-turning roll from which it did not recover. The crew had already passed V1, meaning they were committed to takeoff and did not have adequate runway remaining to stop. In situations like this, flight crews may have no survivable option, and this accident may represent one of those rare but tragic scenarios. We also compare aspects of this event to American Airlines Flight 191, the 1979 DC-10 crash at Chicago O'Hare. While both accidents involved the loss of the left engine on takeoff, the failure chain in AA191 involved slat retraction due to damaged hydraulic and control lines—failure modes later addressed in the MD-11 design. The MD-11's slats are hydraulically locked to prevent unintended retraction, meaning the probable cause of this accident must differ in critical ways. After the accident analysis, we shift to a practical, pilot-focused conversation about landings with returning guest Dr. Catherine Cavagnaro, columnist for AOPA and highly respected flight instructor and DPE. Drawing on more than a thousand check rides, Catherine explains that the most consistent problem she sees is pilots flying final approach too fast. While pilots often worry about being too slow, the data shows that excessive approach speed is…