UPS crash grounds MD-11 fleets
One week after the deadly UPS Airlines crash in Louisville, operations at the carrier’s Worldport hub are gradually returning to normal. The MD-11F, operating as flight 5X2976 from Louisville to Honolulu, crashed shortly after take-off on 4 November 2025, killing all three crew members and eleven people on the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed recovery of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, which are now being analysed to determine the cause. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency directive ordering immediate inspections of all MD-11 freighters, citing "potential structural or engine-mount anomalies".
UPS Airlines and FedEx said they proactively grounded their MD-11F fleets on the advice of Boeing (which took over McDonnell Douglas in 1997), before the FAA directive came out, causing short-term capacity losses. (ah)