Family of Man Killed in UPS Cargo Plane Crash Files Lawsuit Against Companies
The family of Matthew Sweets, a 37-year-old electrician in training and father of two, has filed a lawsuit against several companies in connection to his death in a cargo plane crash last year. Sweets was inside Grade-A Auto Parts, an industrial area outside Louisville, Kentucky, on November 4, 2025, when a UPS-operated McDonnell Douglas MD-11 plowed into the building. He suffered severe injuries and passed away two days later.
The lawsuit, filed in Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky, seeks compensation for Sweets’ family and holds UPS, Boeing, GE, and VT San Antonio Aerospace responsible for his death. According to attorneys representing the family, the actions of these companies directly led to Sweets’ death.
Boeing, which acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997, manufactured the MD-11 and was responsible for its maintenance and airworthiness. GE designed and manufactured the three CF6 engines installed on the aircraft, while VT San Antonio Aerospace performed maintenance, inspection, and repair work on the plane prior to the crash. All four companies have been named in other lawsuits related to the accident and have chosen not to comment while the cases are ongoing.
The recent complaint alleges that Boeing failed to address known issues with the MD-11’s engine pylon assembly. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has linked the crash of N259UP, the aircraft involved in the accident, to a failure of the left pylon which resulted in the detachment of the left engine from the wing shortly after takeoff. The lawsuit claims that both Boeing and UPS were aware of previous problems with the pylon’s bearing race assembly but did not report them to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Boeing is also accused of not reclassifying the bearing race assembly, which would have required more frequent inspections.
GE and VT San Antonio are also being held responsible for their actions, with the lawsuit stating that they failed to identify or address the risk of a structural failure in the engine pylon. The lawsuit alleges that the companies were aware of the potential risks but chose to continue operating the MD-11s regardless.
The crash of UPS Flight 2976 resulted in the deaths of all three crew members and 12 people on the ground, including Sweets. The aircraft was carrying approximately 38,000 gallons of jet fuel and the ensuing explosion caused a massive fire that took over a day to contain. The global MD-11 fleet was temporarily grounded until Boeing developed and implemented a repair protocol. While FedEx’s MD-11s have since returned to service, UPS has permanently retired the type.
The lawyers representing Sweets’ family have not specified a monetary amount in their claims, but have stated that they will seek compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney fees.