According to initial reporting and the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Flight 2976 experienced a critical
structural failure, causing the left engine and pylon to detach from the rest
of the aircraft.
“Families have lost loved ones, communities have suffered
overwhelming sadness, and the nation has witnessed yet another catastrophic
disaster involving an aircraft with a long-documented history of mechanical
problems,” McGarvey wrote in a letter. “We have a collective
responsibility to ensure that no additional lives are put at risk by an
aircraft whose design and operational history have repeatedly demonstrated an
unacceptable level of danger.”
The letter asserts that the tragedy in Louisville was the
result of a broader pattern of structural deficiencies, citing a
long-documented history of mechanical problems as a cause for the FAA to
permanently ground the aircraft model from service.
The MD-11 has experienced at least ten hull loss accidents since
entering service in 1990 – the highest hull loss rate (per million departures)
of any wide-body commercial jet airliner still flying within the U.S. –
according to Boeing, the model’s manufacturer.
“Given the MD-11’s safety record, the NTSB’s preliminary
report on the Louisville crash, and the FAA’s statutory obligations, I urge the
FAA to take immediate steps to permanently ground the MD-11,” the
Congressman concluded.
