UPS and FedEx have grounded a fleet of cargo planes “out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety” following a deadly crash in Kentucky.
A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 plane bound for Honolulu crashed near UPS Worldport in Louisville on Tuesday evening, killing 14 people, including the three pilots.
Authorities said the MD-11, built in 1991, was carrying 38,000 gallons of fuel at the time of the crash, which impacted two buildings, with images from the scene showing large fires burning and smoke billowing into the air.
UPS said on Friday that it would ground its MD-11 aircrafts, which make up about 9% of its fleet.
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Mile of fire and debris after fatal cargo plane crash
“We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer,” UPS said in a statement. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve.”
FedEx, which has 28 MD-11s in operation out of a fleet of around 700, also said it would ground the planes while it conducts “a thorough safety review based on the recommendation of the manufacturer”.
The scene of the crash. Pic: AP
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to immediately ground our MD-11 fleet as we conduct a thorough inspection and safety review,” the company told Sky News’ US partner network NBC. “We are immediately implementing contingency plans within our integrated air-ground network to minimize disruptions.”
The only other US cargo airline flying MD-11s is Western Global Airlines, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
The airline has already put the majority of its MD-11 aircraft – 12 out of 16 – into storage.
A UPS MD-11 landing at Philadelphia airport in March 2025. File pic: Wikipedia/Hamproductions
The MD-11 that crashed on Tuesday was nearly airborne when a bell sounded in the cockpit, according to Todd Inman, a member of the US National Transportation Safety Board.
The cockpit voice recorder revealed that the bell rang for 25 seconds while the pilots tried to control the plane, the left wing of which was ablaze and an engine missing, before the aircraft crashed into the ground in a fireball.
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There are different types of alarms with varying meanings, according to Mr Inman, who added that investigators haven’t determined why the bell rang, though they know the left wing was burning and the engine on that side had detached.
Flight records suggest that the MD-11 underwent maintenance for more than a month until mid-October, but it is unclear what work was done.
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