FedEx and UPS Ground MD-11 Fleets After Fatal Louisville Crash Kills 14 [WATCH]

UPS and FedEx announced Friday they are grounding all McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft in their fleets following a fatal crash earlier this week at UPS Worldport, the company’s global air hub in Louisville, Kentucky.

The decision comes “out of an abundance of caution,” both carriers said, citing a recommendation from the aircraft manufacturer.

The crash occurred Tuesday evening and claimed 14 lives, including three pilots aboard the MD-11 bound for Honolulu.

According to UPS, the aircraft was nearly airborne when an alarm bell sounded in the cockpit.

For the next 25 seconds, the crew struggled to control the plane as it lifted briefly off the runway before crashing and erupting in flames.

BREAKING: Aerial footage shows the UPS cargo plane crash near Louisville, Kentucky airport. Police confirm there are victims. pic.twitter.com/Qt7hNK84e5

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National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Todd Inman said the left wing was on fire and missing an engine before impact.

UPS said in a statement Friday night that the grounding was a proactive measure based on advice from the manufacturer.

“We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer,” the company said.

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve.”

FedEx, which operates a smaller MD-11 fleet, confirmed it would follow the same course.

“We are grounding the aircraft while conducting a thorough safety review based on the recommendation of the manufacturer,” the company said in an email.

MD-11 aircraft represent about 9% of the UPS fleet and roughly 4% of FedEx’s aircraft, both companies said.

Western Global Airlines is the only other U.S. cargo carrier operating the MD-11, with 16 in its fleet.

Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that 12 of Western Global’s MD-11s are already in storage.

The MD-11 was designed by McDonnell Douglas before the company’s 1997 merger with Boeing.

Production of the widebody jet ended in 2000, and the model has since been phased out of passenger service.

Boeing has not publicly commented on the rationale behind the manufacturer’s recommendation to temporarily ground the planes.

Inman said investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and were analyzing data from it.

The alarm bell was recorded approximately 37 seconds after the pilots called for takeoff thrust.

“There are different types of alarms with varying meanings,” Inman said, noting that the NTSB has not yet determined the exact cause.

“We do know that the left wing was burning and that the engine on that side had detached.”

A full transcript of the cockpit recording will not be released for several months, pending completion of the investigation.

Former federal crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti told the Associated Press that the bell likely indicated an engine fire warning.

“It occurred at a point in the takeoff where they were likely past their decision speed to abort the takeoff,” Guzzetti said.

“They were likely past their critical decision speed to remain on the runway and stop safely. They’ll need to thoroughly investigate the options the crew may or may not have had.”

Video footage from multiple angles captured the plane crashing into nearby businesses and exploding into a large fireball.

Investigators are reviewing images from phones, vehicle dashcams, and surveillance cameras to reconstruct the sequence of events.

Flight data shows the UPS MD-11 had recently undergone maintenance in San Antonio, Texas, where it was grounded for more than a month until mid-October.

Officials have not yet detailed what work was performed during that time.

UPS’s Worldport facility, which serves as the company’s primary logistics and air operations hub, employs more than 20,000 people and handles about 300 flights daily.

The hub sorts approximately 400,000 packages per hour during peak operations. Despite the crash, UPS said operations resumed late Wednesday with the company’s Next Day Air processing, also known as the “night sort.”

The NTSB, Federal Aviation Administration, and Boeing are all participating in the investigation.

Officials said it could take several months to determine the exact cause of the crash and whether a mechanical failure, maintenance issue, or other factor contributed.

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