UPS and FedEx Ground MD-11 Fleets After Kentucky Crash
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United Parcel Service (UPS) and FedEx have grounded thier MD-11 freighter fleets following a fatal crash of a UPS aircraft at Louisville Standiford International Airport on Sunday. The move comes as investigators begin a comprehensive probe into the cause of the crash, which resulted in the deaths of two crew members and sparked a significant fire.
The grounding affects 28 UPS MD-11s and 26 fedex MD-11s,halting a considerable portion of both companies’ overnight air cargo operations.The Louisville UPS hub, Worldport, is the company’s largest, employing over 20,000 people and handling more than 400,000 packages per hour. The disruption raises concerns about potential delays in package delivery, particularly during the peak holiday shipping season.
The UPS MD-11 crashed shortly after takeoff, impacting businesses near the airport and erupting in a fireball. Dramatic video captured by phones, cars, and security cameras provides investigators with multiple perspectives of the incident. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Brian Rayner stated there are different types of alarms with varying meanings, and investigators haven’t determined why a bell rang in the cockpit, though they know the left wing was burning and the engine on that side had detached.
Former federal crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti suggested the bell likely signaled the engine fire,noting the aircraft was likely past the point where it could safely abort the takeoff.”They were likely past their critical decision speed to remain on the runway and stop safely,” guzzetti told The Associated Press. “They’ll need to thoroughly investigate the options the crew may or may not have had.”
Flight records indicate the crashed UPS MD-11 underwent maintenance in San Antonio for over a month until mid-October, though the specific work performed remains unclear.UPS resumed limited operations at Worldport Wednesday night with its Next Day Air service. The NTSB expects a transcript of the cockpit recording to be released in the coming months as part of the investigation.