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Following a deadly air disaster in Louisville, Kentucky, this week, major freight carriers UPS and FedEx have temporarily grounded their entire fleets of MD-11 cargo planes.
Both companies immediately ceased operations of the trijet aircraft—which makes up roughly nine per cent of the UPS fleet and 28 aircraft for FedEx—acting on a specific safety recommendation from the plane’s manufacturer, Boeing (McDonnell Douglas).
The grounding decision was made “out of an abundance of caution” while additional engineering analysis and a safety review are performed.
The incident involved a UPS-operated McDonnell Douglas MD-11, which crashed and exploded into flames shortly after takeoff on Tuesday, killing 14 people and resulting in the loss of the three-person crew.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recovered the plane’s black boxes and are focusing on evidence suggesting an engine caught fire and detached during the takeoff sequence.
The crash is reported to be the deadliest in UPS’s history.
