On November 4, 2025, a UPS cargo jet loaded with fuel for its trans-Pacific journey thundered down the runway in Louisville, Kentucky. But just seconds after liftoff, something catastrophic happened—the left engine tore away from the wing in a shower of sparks and flame. What followed was 30 seconds of horror as the crippled MD-11 carved a path of destruction through an industrial area, killing 14 people. But this disaster wasn't unprecedented—46 years earlier, an almost identical failure killed 271 people in Chicago and changed aviation forever. Or did it? Join Alice as she explores whether the lessons of America's deadliest aviation disaster were truly learned, and what it means that aging cargo aircraft are still experiencing the same catastrophic failures decades later.

Sources:

• NTSB Preliminary Report DCA26MA024 (November 20, 2025)
• NTSB Media Briefing 3 (November 8, 2025) - YouTube
• FAA Lessons Learned: American Airlines Flight 191
• "New photos show engine falling off UPS cargo plane before Louisville crash" - NBC News
• "Fleet of UPS planes grounded after deadly crash expected to miss peak delivery season" - CNN
• "Leading Aviation Attorney Comments on NTSB Preliminary Report" - Clifford Law Offices
• "Wrongful death lawsuit in UPS cargo jet crash planned by victims' families" - Reuters, December 2, 2025
• "UPS put profits over safety before plane crash that killed 14, lawyer alleges" - Associated Press, December 3, 2025
• "Investigators recover black boxes from UPS plane crash, detail data recovery process" - Tom's Hardware, November 8, 2025
• "Dramatic photos of doomed UPS plane show the aircraft on fire and its engine flying off" - Associated Press, November 20, 2025
• "Investigators find 'black boxes' from UPS plane crash that killed at least 12" - Reuters, November 5, 2025

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Credits: Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.