UPS has grounded all of its MD-11 cargo freighter planes, efficient instantly.
“Out of an abundance of warning and within the curiosity of security, we now have made the choice to quickly floor our MD-11 fleet,” the corporate mentioned in a press release posted to its web site late Friday.
An MD-11, UPS Flight 2976, crashed whereas taking off Nov. 4 because it left UPS Worldport in Louisville, the corporate’s largest transport and logistics facility globally and the headquarters for UPS Airways.
“We made this choice proactively on the suggestion of the plane producer,” UPS mentioned. “Nothing is extra vital to us than the security of our staff and the communities we serve.”
The planes signify about 9% of its total fleet.
The worldwide transport and logistics firm talked about, however didn’t element, contingency plans it has in place to “proceed to ship the dependable service our clients around the globe rely on.”
As of Nov. 7, the crash had claimed 14 lives, together with the airplane’s three-person crew, making it the deadliest airplane crash in UPS Airways historical past. 9 others stay lacking and unaccounted for.
Nationwide Transportation Security Board investigators working to find out a reason for the crash have mentioned the outbound MD-11’s left engine indifferent from the wing throughout takeoff.
A UPS McDonnell Douglas-11 jet sits parked at UPS WorldPort at Muhammad Ali Worldwide Airport in Louisville, Kentucky Nov. 5, 2025. A UPS MD-11 crashed shortly after takeoff yesterday on the airport, killing the three crew members and several other extra on the bottom. Greater than a dozen have been injured as properly.
The freighter was first launched in 1990 as a passenger airplane however hasn’t operated as such since 2014, largely resulting from excessive gasoline and upkeep prices, consultants advised USA TODAY.
UPS owned and/or operated 27 MD-11 planes, as of a Sept. 30 submitting to the U.S. Securities and Change Fee.
The corporate has been working to retire the getting older MD-11 for a couple of years in favor of newer planes.
The airplane on the heart of the lethal crash was manufactured in 1991 by McDonnell Douglas, which later merged with Boeing.
The NTSB is gathering upkeep data for the airplane, which seems to have undergone heavy upkeep throughout a six-week interval in September and October, primarily based on flight data and remarks from the NTSB.
This story can be up to date.
Reporters Olivia Evans, Connor Giffin and Josh Wooden contributed. Attain progress and growth reporter Matthew Glowicki at mglowicki@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4000.
This text initially appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: UPS grounds all MD-11 planes days after deadly Louisville crash