Houston, Texas – (May 21, 2026) — The ongoing National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing into the 2025 crash of UPS Flight 2976 is drawing increased attention to a critical challenge facing aging infrastructure and transportation systems worldwide: how materials degradation, inspection limitations, and maintenance affect long-term structural performance in safety-critical assets.
The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) is closely monitoring developments from the NTSB investigative hearing into the November 4, 2025, accident involving UPS Flight 2976.
Testimony presented during the hearing focused on a progressive structural failure scenario involving fatigue cracking in a critical aircraft pylon attachment assembly. The hearing has also highlighted the complex interaction between different materials, load conditions, and in-service degradation processes.
While fatigue has been identified as the primary mechanism under investigation at this stage, the hearing underscores that structural failures in critical systems often develop through interacting degradation mechanisms, rather than a single isolated cause.
“This hearing highlights that small materials degradation issues can grow into broader, critical systems failures,” said Brad Wilder, P.E. (KY), CAE, Senior Director of Technical Advancement at AMPP. “This must be considered throughout the lifespan of a system, from the design phase through manufacturing, inspection, maintenance, and retirement from service. These are challenging interdisciplinary problems that require collaboration among engineers, operators, standards bodies, and regulators.”
The testimony has also raised important questions about the detectability of defects and damage during routine inspections, particularly when degradation occurs internally or in ways not readily observable through routine inspection methods.
From a materials and structural integrity perspective, these discussions reinforce the importance of comprehensive inspection strategies and continued assessment of how real-world operating conditions affect long-term material behavior.
AMPP remains committed to supporting the engineering community and global industries in advancing knowledge related to materials degradation, structural integrity, inspection technologies, and long-term asset performance.
ABOUT AMPP
The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) is a global leader dedicated to the protection of assets and the performance of industrial and natural materials. Established in 2021, AMPP brings together nearly 150 years of combined expertise from legacy organizations to advance solutions that enhance safety, security, and sustainability across industries. Serving more than 41,000 members in over 150 countries, AMPP is the largest organization of its kind, providing innovative standards, certifications, training, and resources. Headquartered in the United States with offices in Houston and Pittsburgh, AMPP also operates regional offices in Brazil, Canada, China, Dubai (training center), Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. www.ampp.org