LIVE | NTSB begins hearings in Washington for UPS plane crash

In Washington, the NTSB begins a two-day hearing where federal safety investigators will question UPS, Boeing, the FAA and others about maintenance records and possible safety failures.The NTSB conducts hearings like this to help it get more info needed for aviation accident investigations.An MD-11 crashed just after takeoff from Louisville's airport on Nov. 4 as it was headed to Hawaii. It killed 15 people, including all three crew members.The hearings began at 8 a.m. Monday and you can watch it in the player above as it is happening.Although the hearing is open to the public, only NTSB board members, investigators, witnesses and parties to the hearing can participate.The NTSB said they will not release a probable cause nor findings during the hearing. While the official cause has yet to be determined, the NTSB has already released initial reports. They reveal there were some cracks and failures on the plane's pylon, the part that attaches the engine to the wing.Investigators also found "fatigue cracks" (cracks that grow gradually from repeated stresses) in the left pylon aft mount lugs and a fractured aft spherical bearing race.The pylon had "areas of overstress failure," the NTSB report says.Another report said Boeing, the plane's maker, knew of a flaw that this plane had, but determined it would not make the plane unsafe to fly.Days after the crash, UPS and the FAA grounded MD-11s, and UPS eventually retired them all.