UPS grounds their entire MD -11 fleet

UPS McDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-11F N278UP (MSN 48577)

UPS says a fleet of planes grounded after a fatal crash likely won’t return to service during the busy holiday season, as they undergo inspections and potential repairs.

According to a memo from UPS Airlines president Bill Moore, the airline now expects it will take several months for its McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleet to return to service while it works to meet Federal Aviation Administration guidelines. The process, once estimated to take just weeks, is now anticipated to stretch over several months.

On the 4th of November in Louisville, Kentucky, a fiery MD-11 plane crash claimed 14 lives and injured at least 23 others after the left engine broke off during takeoff. Cargo carriers globally grounded their McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleets shortly after, ahead of a directive from the FAA.

“Regarding the MD-11 fleet, Boeing’s ongoing evaluation shows that inspections and potential repairs will be more extensive than initially expected,” Moore wrote in the memo.

A UPS spokesperson said the company will use contingency plans to keep deliveries on track during the peak season and will take the necessary time to ensure every aircraft is safe. The 109 remaining MD-11 planes, which are over 30 years old on average, are dedicated to hauling cargo for package delivery companies, making up about 9% of UPS’s fleet and 4% of FedEx’s.

The aircraft that crashed, N259UP, was a 34-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-11F with MSN 48417. The aircraft was first delivered to Thai Airways International in 1991 with the registration HS-TME, after which it was converted to a cargo aircraft and delivered to UPS Airlines in 2006. It had flown 21,043 cycles and for about 92,992 hours and was equipped with three General Electric CF6-80C2D1F engines.