UPS and FedEx have announced the grounding of their McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft fleets. This decision follows a fatal crash involving a UPS MD-11 plane at the UPS global aviation hub in Louisville, Kentucky.
Fleet Details
MD-11 aircraft constitute approximately 9% of the UPS airline fleet and 4% of the FedEx fleet. Both companies cited recommendations from the aircraft manufacturer for the grounding.
Crash Details and Investigation
The incident occurred on Tuesday, resulting in 14 fatalities, including the three pilots aboard the MD-11 cargo plane. The aircraft was destined for Honolulu.
According to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Todd Inman, a bell sounded in the cockpit approximately 37 seconds after the crew initiated takeoff thrust. This occurred as the plane was nearing takeoff speed. For the subsequent 25 seconds, the bell continued to ring while pilots attempted to control the aircraft. The left wing was observed to be ablaze and missing an engine as the plane barely lifted off the runway before crashing.
Investigators have confirmed the presence of the bell sound on the cockpit voice recorder. The specific reason for the bell activation, as well as the cause of the left wing fire and engine detachment, remains under investigation. A transcript of the cockpit recording is anticipated to be released in several months.
Former federal crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti suggested the bell likely signaled an engine fire. He noted that the incident occurred past the typical decision speed for pilots to safely abort a takeoff.
Aircraft and Facility Information
Flight records indicate the involved McDonnell Douglas MD-11, manufactured in 1991, underwent maintenance in San Antonio for over a month until mid-October. The specifics of this maintenance have not been disclosed.
UPS Worldport in Louisville, Kentucky, is the company's largest package handling facility. It employs more than 20,000 individuals, manages 300 flights daily, and processes over 400,000 packages per hour. Operations at UPS Worldport resumed on Wednesday night with its Next Day Air service.