A recent airplane accident in Louisville, Kentucky, has motivated this investigative hearing.
DATES:
Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern time, and Wednesday, May 20, 2026, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET.
ADDRESSES:
429 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC. The street entrance to the NTSB Boardroom and Conference Center is located on 10th Street SW, running between D Street and Frontage Road SW, just below the L'Enfant Plaza Promenade. The Boardroom is also accessible from the L'Enfant Plaza Metro through the food court.
On November 4, 2025, about 1714 eastern standard time (EST), United Parcel Service (UPS) flight 2976, a Boeing (McDonnell-Douglas) MD-11F airplane, N259UP, was destroyed after it impacted buildings and the ground shortly after takeoff from runway 17R at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), Louisville, Kentucky. The 3 crewmembers aboard the airplane and 11 people on the ground were fatally injured, 2 people on the ground were seriously injured, and 21 people on the ground sustained minor injuries. One person on the ground who was seriously injured succumbed to injuries 51 days after the accident. Flight 2976 was a domestic cargo flight operating under the provisions of Title 14
Code of Federal Regulations
(
CFR) Part 121 from SDF to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Honolulu, Hawaii.
The investigative hearing will discuss the following issue areas:
Fleet safety processes
○ Reporting processes for in-service anomalies found during inspection and maintenance
○ FAA and Boeing continued operational safety (COS) processes
○ Communications to operators after COS actions are completed
( printed page 24021)
Pylon design requirements
○ FAA design and certification requirements for pylon separation failure modes
○ Design of aircraft systems routed through and near pylon attachment points
Parties to the hearing are Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Federal Aviation Administration; International Brotherhood of Teamsters—Airline Division; STE San Antonio Aerospace; and United Parcel Service.
The National Transportation Safety Board is holding this public hearing pursuant to the provisions of the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 522b) and is authorized by Title 49
CFR
845.2.
Order of Proceedings
1. Opening Statement by the Chairwoman of the Board of Inquiry
2. Introduction of the Board of Inquiry and Technical Panel
3. Introduction of the Parties to the Hearing
4. Introduction of Exhibits by Hearing Officer/Investigator-in-Charge
5. Overview of the accident and investigation by the Investigator-in-Charge
6. Calling of witnesses by Hearing Officer
7. Closing Statement by the Chairwoman of the Board of Inquiry
The investigative hearing will be transmitted live via webcast. The public may access the live webcast through the NTSB's website at
www.ntsb.gov
under “News & Events.” An archival video of the hearing will be available via the NTSB's YouTube channel at
https://www.youtube.com/user/NTSBgov.