UPS Airlines has put its entire fleet of MD‑11 cargo aircraft on hold indefinitely for further inspections and potential fixes after a tragic incident that occurred last month. The crash took place in Kentucky, where a UPS plane burst into a huge, deadly fireball shortly after takeoff, claiming 14 lives—including the three crew members and 11 people on the ground.
According to an internal memo from airline president Bill Moore, the MD‑11s will remain grounded throughout the busy holiday period as the company works to meet all Federal Aviation Administration requirements following the November 4 accident. “Regarding the MD‑11 fleet, Boeing’s ongoing evaluation shows that inspections and potential repairs will be more extensive than initially expected,” Moore wrote to employees.
UPS says the review will take several months, but they’re planning to keep operations running by using backup aircraft and other contingency measures. The decision to ground the fleet came after the NTSB confirmed that the jet’s left engine tore off during lift‑off, striking the fuselage and causing a spectacular explosion over the runway near Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport. The aircraft never climbed more than about 30 feet before plunging into a UPS warehouse and a nearby petroleum recycling facility, according to the NTSB findings.
Built in 1991, the aircraft had been recently serviced before the flight, but officials are still investigating the exact cause of the catastrophic failure. Meanwhile, the NTSB continues to probe the details of the crash to determine how such a disaster could happen and what lessons can be learned to prevent a recurrence.
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