Two of the nation's top parcel carriers have grounded their fleets of McDonnell Douglas MD-11s, the type of plane involved in Tuesday’s deadly UPS plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Federal Aviation Administration has also called for an inspection of all such aircraft following the crash that killed at least 14 people.
UPS said the move to temporarily ground its MD-11 fleet was made “out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety.” MD-11s make up 9% of the company’s air fleet, it said.
“We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve,” UPS spokesman Jim Mayer said.
NBC News reported the grounding earlier Friday, citing two sources familiar with the matter. A photo seen by NBC News showed a screen in a plane that directed pilots to return and which read: “Per UPS MD11 are not to depart effective immediately.”
FedEx said early Saturday that it was also grounding its MD-11s. The UPS rival has 28 such planes in operation, out of a fleet of around 700, FedEx said.
The UPS flight, headed from Louisville to Honolulu, crashed around 5:15 p.m. as it was taking off and struck an industrial area near the airport, causing a huge fire and killing the plane’s three crew members and others on the ground. Several people also remain unaccounted for.
Boeing, which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, said that it made the recommendation to ground the MD-11.
"With safety as our top priority, we recommended to the three operators of the MD-11 Freighter that they suspend flight operations while additional engineering analysis is performed," a spokesperson for the company said. "This recommendation was made in an abundance of caution and we will continue coordinating with the FAA on this matter."
The FAA released an emergency airworthiness directive on Saturday saying flight for MD-11s is prohibited until the planes are properly inspected.
The directive was prompted by the Tuesday crash, where the left-hand engine and pylon detached from the plane during takeoff.
The FAA said it determined “the unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design.” The directive requires inspections of all MD-11s and said flights may resume after “all applicable corrective actions are performed.”
Video shows that the left engine of the plane caught fire during takeoff and immediately detached, National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said this week.
The NTSB is the lead agency in the investigation.
UPS is the largest employer in the Louisville metro area, with around 25,000 workers. The airport where the disaster happened, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, is a main hub for the company’s global air network.
Despite the grounding, UPS said Friday that “contingency plans are in place to ensure we can continue to deliver the reliable service our customers around the world count on.”
The company uses more than 500 UPS and chartered aircraft of six different types, including the MD-11, in its global operations, it says on its website.
FedEx also said it had plans to avoid disruptions.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to immediately ground our MD-11 fleet as we conduct a thorough inspection and safety review,” the company said. “We are immediately implementing contingency plans within our integrated air-ground network to minimize disruptions.”
