NTSB Hearing Reveals Decades of Unaddressed MD-11 Pylon Bearing Failures Before Fatal UPS Crash

The NTSB’s two-day hearing into the November 2025 UPS MD-11F crash at Louisville revealed that engine pylon bearing fractures had occurred repeatedly over 25 years without adequate corrective action. Investigators found that fatigue cracks in the spherical bearing’s outer race at the aft anchor point caused the race to split, redistributing loads unevenly across the mounting lugs until catastrophic structural failure occurred. Boeing first received a fractured bearing report in 2002, and FedEx reported another in 2007. Three additional FedEx aircraft experienced similar failures since 2020. Post-crash inspections of 26 remaining UPS MD-11Fs found three more aircraft with the same pylon defect.

Sources: FlightGlobal

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FAA Checks Off Early Recommendations from KDCA Midair Collision Probe but Faces Long Road Ahead

The FAA has begun implementing a handful of the 52 safety recommendations issued by the NTSB following the January 2025 midair collision between a PSA Airlines CRJ-700 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people. The board’s probable cause finding cited the FAA’s placement of a helicopter route in close proximity to an active runway approach path and its failure to act on prior warnings. While some procedural changes to Washington-area helicopter routing are in place, the majority of systemic recommendations—covering airspace review protocols, risk assessment processes, and controller staffing—remain in progress.

Sources: Aviation International News

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NTSB Data Confirms Both Engines Were Deliberately Cut Before China Eastern 737 Crash

Newly released NTSB cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder analysis confirms that both engine fuel cutoff switches on China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 were moved to the off position during stable cruise on March 21, 2022. The Boeing 737-800 subsequently entered an unrecoverable descent from 29,000 feet, crashing near Wuzhou in Guangxi province and killing all 132 people aboard. The NTSB material, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows normal flight parameters until the moment both engines lost fuel supply. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has yet to release its own findings more than four years after the disaster.

Sources: Aviation Week

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Airlines and Lessors Dismantling Near-New A320neos as GTF Engine Values Dwarf Airframe Worth

A growing number of Airbus A320neo-family aircraft—some less than five years old—are being stripped for parts as the ongoing Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engine crisis makes individual engines more valuable than complete airframes. A single GTF engine now commands lease rates of approximately $200,000 per month, meaning a pair of engines can generate returns exceeding the monthly lease rate of the entire aircraft. More than a dozen A320neos have already been dismantled, with firms including EirTrade Aviation and KP Aviation processing ex-Spirit Airlines jets. The crisis stems from contaminated powdered metal in high-pressure turbine and compressor disks requiring widespread inspections and removals.

Sources: Simple Flying

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GKN Aerospace Scales Additive Manufacturing to Win Next-Generation Engine Component Positions

GKN Aerospace is expanding its additive manufacturing operations to secure positions on next-generation aircraft engine programs, building on the success of its 3D-printed fan case mount ring for Pratt & Whitney geared turbofans. The UK-based Tier 1 supplier is developing additional structural engine parts using laser metal deposition with wire technology at its Trollhättan facility in Sweden, with a new production area becoming fully operational this year. GKN also launched the $8.4 million TITAN-AM program with the U.S. Air Force to industrialize titanium additive manufacturing for large aerostructures. The company sees strong demand for additive repair services that reduce scrappage rates.

Sources: FlightGlobal

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Boeing Backs Israeli Laser Computing Startup to Accelerate Structural Degradation Modeling

Boeing is funding Israeli startup LightSolver to apply laser-based optical computing technology to complex engineering simulations involving structural material degradation in aircraft. The investment targets one of aviation’s most computationally intensive challenges: predicting how airframe materials fatigue, corrode, and lose integrity over thousands of flight cycles. LightSolver’s photonic processors use laser interactions to solve optimization problems exponentially faster than conventional digital computers, potentially compressing structural simulation timelines from weeks to hours. The partnership could reshape how manufacturers model aircraft lifecycle costs, schedule maintenance intervals, and certify structural repairs on aging fleets.

Sources: Aviation Week

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Ryanair Evaluating Six Locations for In-House Engine Overhaul Shops With 2028 Opening Target

Ryanair Group is actively negotiating with six locations—Spain, Italy, Poland, the Baltic states, Northern Ireland, and Morocco—as it prepares to open the first of two dedicated in-house engine MRO facilities by late 2028. Each shop would employ approximately 600 workers and handle 150 engine overhauls per year, primarily servicing the LEAP engines powering Ryanair’s expanding 737 MAX fleet. CEO Michael O’Leary expects to announce the first site around the end of June, with construction beginning shortly thereafter. Continental European locations are favored over Ireland due to the logistics of transporting engines on and off an island at Europe’s periphery.

Sources: Aviation Week

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South Dakota State University Team Wins NASA Competition for Aircraft Maintenance Innovation

The South Dakota State University WINGMAN team took first place at NASA’s fifth annual Gateways to Blue Skies competition, held May 18–19 at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. This year’s challenge asked student teams to develop innovative systems and practices that could advance commercial aircraft maintenance and repair operations by 2035. Eight finalist teams presented their research before judges from NASA, the FAA, Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines. The competition is part of NASA’s broader effort to accelerate next-generation MRO technology through university engagement, giving students direct exposure to working professionals and potential career pathways in aeronautics.

Sources: NASA

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