UPS has grounded all of its MD-11 cargo freighter planes, effective immediately.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety, we have made the decision to temporarily ground our MD-11 fleet,” the company said in a statement posted to its website late Friday.
The decision follows a crash involving an MD-11, UPS Flight 2976, which occurred on November 4 during takeoff from UPS Worldport in Louisville. UPS Worldport is the company’s largest shipping and logistics facility globally and serves as the headquarters for UPS Airlines.
“We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer,” UPS added. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve.”
The MD-11 planes represent about 9% of UPS’s overall fleet. While the company mentioned that contingency plans are in place to “continue to deliver the reliable service our customers around the world count on,” no specific details were provided.
As of November 7, the crash had claimed 14 lives, including the plane’s three-person crew, marking it as the deadliest plane crash in UPS Airlines history. Additionally, nine others remain missing and unaccounted for.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have reported that the outbound MD-11’s left engine detached from the wing during takeoff, contributing to the crash.
Originally launched in 1990 as a passenger plane, the MD-11 has not operated in that capacity since 2014, mainly due to high fuel and maintenance costs, experts told USA TODAY.
UPS owned and/or operated 27 MD-11 planes as of a September 30 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company has been gradually retiring the aging MD-11 fleet over the past few years in favor of newer aircraft.
The plane involved in the crash was manufactured in 1991 by McDonnell Douglas, which later merged with Boeing. The NTSB is currently gathering maintenance records for the aircraft, which appears to have undergone extensive maintenance during a six-week period in September and October, based on flight records and NTSB remarks.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
For further inquiries, reach growth and development reporter Matthew Glowicki at [email protected] or call 502-582-4000.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ups-grounds-fleet-md-11-110950089.html
