**LOUISVILLE, Ky.** — The crash Tuesday at UPS Worldport in Louisville killed 14 people, including the three pilots on the MD-11 that was headed for Honolulu.
MD-11 aircraft make up about 9% of the UPS airline fleet and 4% of the FedEx fleet, according to the companies. In response to the crash, both UPS and FedEx announced they would ground all MD-11 planes in their fleets at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer.
“We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer,” UPS said in a statement late Friday. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve.”
FedEx also stated in an email that it will be grounding the aircraft while a “thorough safety review” is conducted, based on the manufacturer’s recommendation.
Boeing, which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press regarding the reasoning behind the recommendation to ground the planes.
### Crash Investigation Underway
Officials are now scouring the charred site at Kentucky’s UPS facility for victims and answers. Western Global Airlines is the only other U.S. operator of the MD-11, with 16 jets in its fleet—12 of which are already in storage. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Saturday.
Boeing previously announced in 1998 that it would phase out MD-11 jetliner production, with the final deliveries made in 2000. The UPS cargo plane that crashed was built in 1991.
### Details of the Crash
According to National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman, the UPS cargo plane was nearly airborne when a bell alarm sounded in the cockpit. For the next 25 seconds, the alarm rang as the pilots struggled to control the aircraft, which lifted off the runway with its left wing on fire and missing an engine, before plowing into the ground in a massive fireball.
The cockpit voice recorder captured the bell sounding about 37 seconds after the crew called for takeoff thrust, Inman said. There are different types of alarms with varying meanings, and investigators have yet to determine the cause of the bell. However, they are aware the left wing was burning, and the engine on that side detached during takeoff.
A transcript of the cockpit recording will not be made public for several months, as the investigation continues.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, suggested the bell likely signaled the engine fire. “It occurred at a point in the takeoff where they were likely past their decision speed to abort the takeoff,” Guzzetti told The Associated Press. “They were likely past their critical decision speed to remain on the runway and stop safely. They’ll need to thoroughly investigate the options the crew may or may not have had.”
### Dramatic Footage and Ongoing Review
Dramatic video footage captured the aircraft crashing into businesses and erupting in a fireball. Phone, car, and security camera recordings have given investigators multiple angles to reconstruct the crash.
Flight records indicate the UPS MD-11 involved in the crash underwent maintenance in San Antonio for more than a month prior to returning to service in mid-October. The nature of the maintenance performed remains unclear.
### Impact on Operations
The UPS package handling facility in Louisville is the company’s largest hub, employing over 20,000 people in the region. The site handles 300 flights daily and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.
Despite the tragedy, UPS Worldport operations resumed Wednesday night with its Next Day Air, or night sort, operation, spokesperson Jim Mayer said.
—
*Reporting contributed from Seattle by Golden.*
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/08/ups-fedex-ground-md11-planes/