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AeroTime • Stephen Pope

NTSB pulls UPS MD-11F public docket system after cockpit-audio re-identification concern

The NTSB has taken its public docket system offline after determining that released sound spectrum imagery could be used to approximate cockpit voice recorder (CVR) audio. The action follows the board’s ongoing UPS MD-11F investigation and related public materials rollout.

2026-05-25T07:14:09.792270-07:00

Bloomberg

NTSB flags potential wing-mount cracks as it reviews UPS MD-11F fatal Louisville crash; releases engine/pylon separation video

2026-05-19T07:54:43.770484-07:00

FlightGlobal

NTSB: UPS MD-11F engine pylon failure tied to fatigue cracks and 10 prior ignored bearing alerts

2026-05-19T13:54:07.237004-07:00

AINonline

Senate confirms Daniel Edwards as DOT assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs; Michael Graham returns to the

2026-05-19T10:41:27.002193-07:00

News Timeline

AeroTime

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NTSB pulls UPS MD-11F public docket system after cockpit-audio re-identification concern The NTSB has taken its public docket system offline after determining that released sound spectrum imagery could be used to approximate cockpit voice recorder (CVR) audio. The action follows the board’s ongoing UPS MD-11F investigation and related public materials rollout.

2026-05-25T07:14:09.792270-07:00

NTSB pulls UPS MD-11F public docket system after cockpit-audio re-identification concern

AINonline

FAA reports partial implementation of NTSB recommendations in KDCA midair investigation; many actions still in process The FAA says it has closed out some items from the NTSB’s KDCA midair investigation, but “many are in process,” leaving key safety actions to be completed. The update underscores that reforms tied to the crash remain underway rather than fully delivered.

2026-05-20T10:55:38.088423-07:00

FAA reports partial implementation of NTSB recommendations in KDCA midair investigation; many actions still in process

FlightGlobal

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NTSB: UPS MD-11F engine pylon failure tied to fatigue cracks and 10 prior ignored bearing alerts At an NTSB hearing, investigators said the left engine/pylon separation on a UPS MD-11F stemmed from fatigue cracking in the pylon bearing supports—a problem reported as far back as 2002. The cracked part had fractured 10 times previously, with questions raised over inspection and reporting by the FAA, Boeing and UPS maintenance personnel.

2026-05-19T13:54:07.237004-07:00

NTSB: UPS MD-11F engine pylon failure tied to fatigue cracks and 10 prior ignored bearing alerts

AINonline

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Senate confirms Daniel Edwards as DOT assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs; Michael Graham returns to the The U.S. Senate confirmed Daniel Edwards as Department of Transportation assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs, and Michael Graham for another five-year term on the National Transportation Safety Board. Aviation stakeholders including NBAA, NATA, and VAI publicly welcomed both confirmations.

2026-05-19T10:41:27.002193-07:00

Senate confirms Daniel Edwards as DOT assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs; Michael Graham returns to the

Bloomberg

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NTSB flags potential wing-mount cracks as it reviews UPS MD-11F fatal Louisville crash; releases engine/pylon separation video The NTSB is reviewing reports of cracks in a wing mount ahead of the left engine shearing off during takeoff in a UPS MD-11F crash near Louisville, Kentucky, in November 2025 that killed 15 people. Ahead of a May 19-20 hearing, it released new video and 6,000 pages of crash documents.

2026-05-19T07:54:43.770484-07:00

NTSB flags potential wing-mount cracks as it reviews UPS MD-11F fatal Louisville crash; releases engine/pylon separation video

FlightGlobal

Astra executive jet unstable approach: captain didn’t respond to go-around call before fatal Virginia terrain collision An Astra executive-jet flight ended in a fatal terrain collision after the aircraft carried out an unstable approach to Hot Springs, Virginia, with the crew failing to set the altimeter pressure reference and the captain not responding to a go-around call. The sequence underscores approach-management and crew-communication breakdowns.

2026-05-15T03:56:05.615496-07:00

Astra executive jet unstable approach: captain didn’t respond to go-around call before fatal Virginia terrain collision

AeroTime

NTSB finds potentially impairing drugs detected in 28.6% of fatally injured US pilots The NTSB reports one in four fatally injured pilots in the US tested positive for potentially impairing drugs. More than half of the tested pilots had at least one drug detected, and potentially impairing drugs were found in 28.6% of cases, underscoring ongoing concerns about medical and substance-risk controls.

2026-05-15T03:54:56.643280-07:00

NTSB finds potentially impairing drugs detected in 28.6% of fatally injured US pilots

Associated Press

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NTSB urges FAA standardization of realistic cockpit smoke training for pilots The NTSB is urging the FAA to require airlines to incorporate immersive, realistic flight-deck smoke scenarios into pilot training. The push follows prior incidents—including a Southwest Airlines event after a 2023 bird strike—and NTSB findings that current practices are insufficient to prepare crews for smoke-filled cockpit conditions.

2026-05-13T14:33:29.048195-07:00

NTSB urges FAA standardization of realistic cockpit smoke training for pilots

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NTSB News

NTSB pulls UPS MD-11F public docket system after cockpit-audio re-identification concern

NTSB flags potential wing-mount cracks as it reviews UPS MD-11F fatal Louisville crash; releases engine/pylon separation video

NTSB: UPS MD-11F engine pylon failure tied to fatigue cracks and 10 prior ignored bearing alerts

Senate confirms Daniel Edwards as DOT assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs; Michael Graham returns to the

News Timeline