In the aftermath of a catastrophic cargo plane crash at UPS Worldport in Louisville, Kentucky, both UPS and FedEx have grounded their entire fleets of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, a move echoed by federal regulators and supported by the manufacturer. The decision, announced late Friday, November 7, 2025, comes as investigators work to unravel the causes behind the deadly accident that claimed 14 lives, including the three crew members aboard.
The crash occurred on Tuesday evening, November 4, when a UPS MD-11 cargo plane, built in 1991 and bound for Honolulu, met disaster just moments after attempting takeoff. According to the Associated Press, the aircraft was nearly airborne when a bell alarm sounded in the cockpit, signaling trouble as the left wing caught fire and an engine detached. For a harrowing 25 seconds, the cockpit voice recorder captured the bell's relentless ring as the crew struggled to regain control. Tragically, the plane crashed into two nearby buildings, erupting in a fireball fueled by 38,000 gallons of jet fuel, as reported by Sky News.
Dramatic footage from phones, cars, and security cameras has provided investigators with multiple vantage points of the incident. The crash not only resulted in the loss of 14 lives but also caused significant fires and widespread smoke, underscoring the gravity of the situation. The National Transportation Safety Board’s Todd Inman noted that the cockpit bell sounded about 37 seconds after takeoff thrust was applied, but investigators have yet to determine the precise cause of the alarm. “There are different types of alarms with varying meanings,” Inman explained, adding that while the left wing was ablaze and missing an engine, the exact reason for the bell remains under investigation.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, suggested to the Associated Press that the bell likely signaled an engine fire. “It occurred at a point in the takeoff where they were likely past their decision speed to abort the takeoff,” Guzzetti said. “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.”
In response to the tragedy, UPS and FedEx announced they would ground all MD-11 aircraft in their fleets, acting on the recommendation of the manufacturer. “We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer,” UPS said in a statement quoted by the Associated Press. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve.” FedEx echoed this sentiment, telling Sky News, “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 added that contingency plans were being implemented to minimize disruptions across its air-ground network.
MD-11 aircraft make up about 9% of UPS’s airline fleet and 4% of FedEx’s, according to information provided by both companies. FedEx operates 28 MD-11s out of a total fleet of approximately 700, while UPS’s MD-11s play a significant role in its global operations. The only other U.S. cargo airline operating MD-11s is Western Global Airlines, which, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, has already placed 12 of its 16 MD-11s into storage. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) quickly stepped in, issuing an emergency airworthiness directive on Saturday, November 8, 2025, that grounded all MD-11 aircraft nationwide. The FAA directive stated, “This emergency [airworthiness directive] was prompted by an accident where the left-hand engine and pylon detached from the airplane during takeoff. The cause of the detachment is currently under investigation. The unsafe condition could result in loss of continued safe flight and landing.” The agency emphasized that the grounding was necessary because the unsafe condition “is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design.”
Boeing, which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, supported the grounding and announced on its website that it “recommended to the three operators of the MD-11 Freighter that they suspend flight operations while additional engineering analysis is performed.” Boeing had previously announced in 1998 that it would phase out MD-11 production, with the last deliveries made in 2000, making these aircraft among the older commercial jets still in active service.
Flight records reviewed by Sky News and The Associated Press indicate that the ill-fated UPS MD-11 underwent maintenance in San Antonio for more than a month until mid-October 2025. However, the specifics of the maintenance work remain unclear, and investigators have not yet determined if any recent repairs played a role in the crash. This uncertainty adds another layer of complexity to an already challenging investigation.
UPS Worldport, the site of the crash, is the company’s largest package-handling facility and a critical hub in its global logistics network. Employing over 20,000 people, the Louisville facility handles 300 flights daily and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour. Despite the tragedy, operations at Worldport resumed Wednesday night, November 5, with its Next Day Air night sort operation, according to UPS spokesperson Jim Mayer.
The crash and subsequent grounding of the MD-11 fleet have sent shockwaves through the air cargo industry, raising questions about the long-term future of older aircraft models and the ongoing challenges of maintaining safety in high-volume logistics operations. While the FAA, NTSB, and Boeing continue their investigations, both UPS and FedEx have reiterated their commitment to employee and public safety, emphasizing that no package or delivery is worth risking lives.
As the investigation unfolds, families of the victims and aviation experts alike await answers on what went wrong during those fateful seconds on the runway. The incident has already prompted sweeping safety reviews and regulatory action, serving as a stark reminder of the ever-present risks in aviation—and the critical importance of vigilance, even with decades-old aircraft that have long been the workhorses of the cargo world.
For now, the MD-11s will remain grounded, their future uncertain, as investigators sift through evidence, analyze maintenance records, and listen to cockpit recordings in search of the truth behind one of the deadliest cargo plane crashes in recent memory.
