In a major development following Tuesday’s fatal cargo plane crash in Louisville, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an immediate order grounding all MD-11 aircraft currently in service across the United States. The directive was released Saturday, according to the Associated Press, and affects both passenger-converted and freight variants of the trijet aircraft.
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The emergency action follows internal safety recommendations from Boeing after its safety review board flagged the need for additional engineering analysis. The board noted that critical systems on the MD-11 require deeper inspection to rule out any structural or mechanical issues that may have contributed to the Louisville accident.
The Louisville crash involved a UPS MD-11 that went down just moments after takeoff from Muhammad Ali International Airport. The aircraft, operating as UPS Flight 2976, burst into flames upon impact, resulting in the deaths of all three crew members and injuring at least eleven others on the ground. The crash produced a massive fireball and an extensive debris field stretching nearly half a kilometer, prompting an immediate shutdown of nearby airport operations and a shelter-in-place order within a five-mile radius.
Friday saw both UPS and FedEx preemptively grounding their entire MD-11 fleets pending official guidance. The FAA’s formal grounding now makes this action mandatory across all operators in the U.S.
UPS said in a statement that MD-11 aircraft make up approximately 9% of its fleet, with 70 aircraft currently in service worldwide. Despite the grounding, the company says it has established contingency plans to maintain delivery schedules and minimize disruption. FedEx, which also operates a significant number of MD-11s, has begun rerouting cargo through alternative aircraft types.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues leading the crash investigation. Early radar data suggested the doomed aircraft reached only about 175 feet before losing control and plunging back to the ground. Dramatic CCTV and dashcam footage captured the aircraft engulfed in flames before striking the airport boundary wall.
Boeing engineers are now working directly with government investigators to determine whether a design flaw, component failure, or maintenance issue may be linked to the accident.
The FAA says MD-11s will remain grounded until safety assessments are complete and the aircraft type is deemed fully airworthy.
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