New materials posted Wednesday by crash investigators revealed the lapse. But UPS said in its own submission to the National Transportation Safety Board that the reason it never required those enhanced bearing inspections inside the pylons that hold the engines to the wings of its MD-11 freighters is because Boeing said incorrectly that the failure of those bearings wouldn’t jeopardize the safety of flight.
The planemaker has acknowledged misjudging the risks.
The failures that kept mechanics from taking a close look at the key parts securing the engines to the wings were highlighted at two days of investigative hearings on the crash in May, but the documents released Wednesday provided additional details.
The NTSB might not publish its final report on the cause of the crash until late this year or possibly early next year.