UPS MD-11 crash at SDF

This one has me messed up boys.
Me too.

I haven't been overly emotional about an accident in my career, until this one. This one hit me hard Tuesday night and I haven't stopped thinking about it.

It's not my airline, but it IS my airplane. The MD-11 community is very small and tight-knit. I was sitting Airport Standby in MEM on Tuesday afternoon when it happened. Maybe it's hitting different now that I have a family, but I just keep thinking how it could have been me. How I could have told my wife and stepdaughter goodbye before they left for work/school and never seen them again. And my heart breaks for the crew, their families and all my brothers and sisters at Brown.

I know our System Chief Pilot (also and MD guy) has said they reached out Tuesday night and are offering any assistance they can. I know UPS's MD-11 team talks to our MD-11 team constantly.

I absolutely adore this airplane and think it's one of the best airplanes ever built. I truly hope they find out what happened and that general idiots and more importantly, Idiots In Charge don't do something drastic with the fleet!

This accident certainly isn't being helped by that recently retired AA douchebag jumping on YouTube to tell us all what happened. It's ok, NTSB. You can go home. Captain Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve solved the case.
 
This accident certainly isn't being helped by that recently retired AA douchebag jumping on YouTube to tell us all what happened. It's ok, NTSB. You can go home. Captain Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve solved the case.
Ugh. THAT guy.

Doesn't help that he is wrong most of the time.
 
No, I am not hinting at anything. In fact, I don't even have a FOR PROFIT YouTube channel where I can opine my WRONG opinions for money moments after people die.

And yes, I'm being EXTREMELY critical of HIS perspective, because it's wrong 99.9% of the time. He knows nothing about the MD-11 and has no idea why it crashed, yet he's making videos solely for money within moments of the accident.

Anything else?
 
Blocked Captain Steeeeeeves YouTube channel. I was on the road and really didn’t need to see any more videos of this crash and it came up on my YouTube feed. It wasn’t even 3 hours after the accident and this tool is posting videos?! He should know better.
 
I made the mistake of watching some of the news coverage through YouTube in my hotel while it was happening and now it's been an endless stream of those fools infecting my feed for 3 days. God I hate the algorithm.
 
I was surprised to see that fleet flying later Tuesday night/Wednesday morning around the system. I’m sure others share the same sentiment. Some of it is emotional assuming an airline would ground a fleet or have some form of a safety timeout for said fleet, but it also can’t be argued that an engine falling off an airframe is normal.
Yeah, the company would have looked better to at least ground them for 24 hours and check some bolts or something. That is, unless they had a clear understanding of what happened, which they don't. It's typcial. Move the boxes. Nothing to see here. Always been like that and always will be. After the dust settles and they figure out what happened, they will take some action. Think EVAS or the E-GWPS software patch on the Bus.
 
Last edited:
No, I am not hinting at anything. In fact, I don't even have a FOR PROFIT YouTube channel where I can opine my WRONG opinions for money moments after people die.

And yes, I'm being EXTREMELY critical of HIS perspective, because it's wrong 99.9% of the time. He knows nothing about the MD-11 and has no idea why it crashed, yet he's making videos solely for money within moments of the accident.

Anything else?
It was really tacky of him making that video in an airport terminal. Pax walking around behind him. An Alaska tail in the background. Just happened to be where he was so he made a video. Read the room.
 
It was really tacky of him making that video in an airport terminal. Pax walking around behind him. An Alaska tail in the background. Just happened to be where he was so he made a video. Read the room.
I blocked him after he made a whole video blaming pilot error for Air India crash, then when it was determined it wasn’t the flaps he never owned up to it. Never said I was wrong - here’s what we know now. Nope. Gotta get the clicks - make a nice headline, make definitive statements and then when I’m wrong just make a new video. I rarely block people (even influencers because I find it comical), but I couldn’t • stand seeing that idiot on my social media anymore.
 
It was really tacky of him making that video in an airport terminal. Pax walking around behind him. An Alaska tail in the background. Just happened to be where he was so he made a video. Read the room.
Why’s he still have a lanyard on? I thought he aged out. 🙄
 
That Capt Steve guy makes Gryder look somewhat humble. Read my comments elsewhere on this site on pilots who use “Captain” in their name, their introductions, on cards, on license plates, or on social media, and the kind of person they are is always the same.
 
I looked up the plane’s day. It flew SDF to Baltimore and back. Bet you that BWI turn crew is unwell. Could just as well been them.





I had a LAX FO friend reach out to me. He flew to BOS. That same plane went back to the west coast. Next day, that same plane the plug door blew out.

That kinda thing messes with you.
My aunt was an FA for TWA from 1968-2000. She traded OUT of TWA 800. And it messed with her a lot. Not just survivors guilt, but the supreme confidence in things.
 
I saw a news report with footage of trucks removing debris from on the airport. Amongst the debris was what looked like an engine core and a second trailer with what appeared to be a fairly intact pylon and inlet cowl. Apparently the airplane had recently gone through a heavy maintenance cycle at an MRO in my new hometown of San Antonio. I hope this isn't history repeating itself.
 
Back
Top