The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday issued an order temporarily grounding all MD-11 freighter aircraft, until inspections and any potential corrective steps can be completed, in the wake of this week’s crash of a UPS jet in Louisville, Kentucky, that killed 14 people.
The left-wing engine and pylon detached from Flight 2976 as it was taking off, resulting in fiery crash just beyond the runway. MD-11s have three engines. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident to determine how the separation occurred.
“The FAA is issuing this airworthiness directive because the agency has determined the unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design,” the order stated.
The emergency directive formalizes the voluntary decision late Friday by UPS and FedEx to halt MD-11 operations after Boeing, the aircraft’s manufacturer, recommended a safety review. The two airlines together operate 57 MD-11 cargo jets. Western Global Airlines, a small carrier based in Estero, Florida, near Fort Myers, has 12 MD-11s in its fleet and is currently operating six of them, according to Flightradar24.
The MD-11s represent about 9% of the mainline FedEx and UPS fleets. The planes average about 31.5 years of age. Both airlines said they have implemented contingency plans to replace the lost capacity and minimize shipment disruptions.
UPS in early 2023 began a gradual phaseout of the MD-11s, citing a desire for more modern, fuel-efficient aircraft. FedEx also started to retire some of its MD-11s, but in May said it would push the deadline for full retirement of the fleet from 2028 until 2032 because of its strategic decision to supplement its package transportation business by hauling more heavy cargo booked by logistics companies
Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.
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