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FAA grounds all MD-11 freighter aircraft for inspection

Concern about engine separation from wing prompts order

Eric Kulisch
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An MD-11 freighter lands at Chicago O’Hare airport on March 19, 2017. FedEx operates 28 MD-11 cargo jets. (Photo: Shutterstock/Greg K__a)
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Key Takeaways:

  • The FAA temporarily grounded all MD-11 freighter aircraft for inspections following a fatal crash of a UPS MD-11 in Louisville, Kentucky.
  • The grounding was prompted by an incident where the left-wing engine and pylon detached during takeoff, killing 14 people, leading the FAA to believe an unsafe condition may exist in other MD-11s.
  • This emergency directive formalizes voluntary halts by major operators UPS and FedEx, who collectively operate 57 of these aging cargo jets and have implemented contingency plans to minimize shipment disruptions.
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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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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com