LIVE: Hearings to focus on why a UPS cargo plane engine fell off, causing deadly crash

"Federal safety investigators will hold hearings this week examining why the engine flew off a UPS cargo plane last year, causing a crash that killed 15 people, and why Boeing didn't address the underlying flaw sooner."

"The engine separated from the MD-11's wing as it accelerated down the runway Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport in November, killing three pilots on the plane and 12 more people on the ground. The UPS plane, which was headed for Hawaii loaded with packages and fuel, had barely left the ground and cleared the airport fence when it crashed into several nearby Louisville businesses and created a massive fireball."

"Dramatic photos the NTSB released after the crash showed the engine detaching and flying up and over the wing as flames erupted on the wing. The final images show the plane ablaze as it gets airborne, leaving behind trails of smoke. The crash was reminiscent of a 1979 crash in Chicago involving a DC-10, which was the predecessor of the trimotor jet that crashed in Louisville."

"That previous crash led to the worldwide grounding of 274 DC-10s. The airliner returned to the skies because the NTSB determined that maintenance workers damaged the plane that crashed while improperly using a forklift to reattach the engine. But even at that point the plane's manufacturer, McDonnell Douglas, raised concerns about the spherical bearing that helps hold the engines to the wings. McDonnell Douglas later merged with Boeing."

A UPS cargo MD-11 engine separated from the wing as the aircraft accelerated down the runway at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport in November, shortly after takeoff. The crash killed three pilots aboard and 12 people on the ground and destroyed nearby businesses in a massive fireball. NTSB images show the engine detaching, flying over the wing, and flames erupting on the wing as the plane became airborne. The investigation will examine contributing factors and why Boeing did not address an underlying flaw earlier, with final findings expected more than a year after the crash. The event resembles a 1979 DC-10 crash in Chicago in which an engine also fell off, leading to worldwide grounding and later findings tied to improper maintenance.

Read at ABC7 Los Angeles