The MD-11 cargo planes involved in last falls deadly UPS crash in Louisville return to the air
Model crashed cargo plane Last fall in Kentucky, a UPS jet resumed flying over the weekend after its engine crashed during takeoff.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it approved Boeing’s proposed fix for MD-11s “after a thorough review.” FedEx then started flying packages again on Sunday to deliver them.
UPS plane crashed In November 2025, shortly after takeoff, the left engine blew off the wing as the aircraft rolled down the runway. three pilots Killed along with passengers on Hawaii-bound plane filled with packages and fuel 12 more people on the ground near Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville.
Boeing has developed a plan to replace a key spherical bearing and speed up inspections of the parts that hold the engines to the wings. The National Transportation Safety Board said Boeing documented four failures on three different planes in 2011 in the part that helps secure the MD-11’s engines to the wings, but at that point the plane maker “determined that this would not result in flight safety.” These planes were built by McDonnell Douglas, which was later purchased by Boeing.
FAA grounds all MD-11s Due to concerns that planes may not be safe after the accident. Earlier this year, UPS is retired Its entire fleet of aircraft accounts for approximately 9% of its total fleet. But FedEx remained committed to getting them back in the air, even though they made up only 4% of its fleet. Western Global Airlines, the other package carrier using MD-11s, has not commented publicly since the crash and did not respond to an email about the FAA’s decision.
FedEx said in a statement that it worked closely with Boeing, the FAA and its own experts to inspect and repair its planes and that the government has documented Boeing’s compliance with its recommendations. Although he owned 46 of these planes, he had stored more than two dozen even before the crash.
“Safety is our top priority at FedEx,” the company said.
However, FedEx plans to eventually retire its MD-11s and replace them with more efficient models. They had announced this long-term plan even before the accident.
Aviation attorneys representing some of the families suing over the Louisville crash said they hope the FAA will make sure those planes will be safe.
“We hope the FAA thoroughly investigates the fixes before the MD-11 fleet is allowed to return to flight,” said attorney Bradley Cosgrove.
But aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said he was surprised it took this long to get these planes flying again, given how quickly the NTSB identified significant concerns that likely contributed to the engine crash. The NTSB is planning two days of investigative hearings into the UPS crash next week to further examine what happened.
Guzzetti, who investigates crashes for both the NTSB and the FAA, said, “I am confident that the solution will work and I would like to see MD-11s in the air again. Once these corrective actions are taken, it will be a safe aircraft in terms of its engines.”
Some experts speculated after the crash. MD-11s may never fly again If the repair turns out to be more expensive than these old planes are worth. But Boeing found a way to address safety concerns by simply replacing the bearing and speeding up inspections.
Associated Press writer Jack Dura contributed to this report from Bismarck, North Dakota.
