Boeing has asked delivery companies FedEx, UPS and Western Global Cargo to temporarily suspend operations of Boeing MD-11 and MD-11F aircraft.
This measure was taken in response to the UPS Flight 2976 accident that occurred last Tuesday (4th), and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) issued an emergency airworthiness directive (2025-23-51) for these models on Saturday (8th).
According to a statement from the FAA, the accident was caused by the left engine and its respective pylon dislodging during the takeoff process at Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, USA. Nine people died in this accident.
The cause of the failure is still under investigation. The federal agency stressed that this condition “could lead to loss of safe flight and landing capabilities,” and therefore ordered an immediate inspection of the aircraft and implementation of all applicable corrective actions before new flights.
The agency has classified the measure as an interim measure and may adopt new rules once the technical review progresses. The FAA justified immediate adoption of the directive without public consultation based on the urgency and gravity of the situation, saying that given the risks to aviation safety, “waiting for a normal comment period would be impractical.”
Boeing, which is responsible for assisting airlines and regulators, issued a statement saying it had recommended that FedEx, UPS and Western Global Cargo “temporarily suspend operations of the MD-11 freighter while additional technical analysis is conducted.”
The decision comes after UPS and FedEx announced Thursday the suspension of their MD-11F cargo fleets following the incident. There are currently 54 MD-11 aircraft in commercial service around the world, distributed among three American cargo airlines.
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