UPS, FedEx Ground All MD-11 Air Freighters After Horrific Louisville Crash

Boeing advised operators of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 air freighter to ground the aircraft after UPS flight 2976 crashed shortly after takeoff from the Muhammad Ali airport in Louisville on Tuesday evening. By late week, the crash resulted in 14 fatalities, including crew members and individuals on the ground. 

Bloomberg quoted UPS as saying the grounding of its air freighters was purely “out of an abundance of caution.” The global shipper said the move affects about 9% of its total aircraft fleet. FedEx also grounded its MD-11 jets, noting that the model accounts for about 4% of its fleet.

The MD-11, the three-engine wide-body jet originally designed for long-haul passenger and cargo operations, was built in the early 1990s and converted to a freighter for UPS after years of service with Thai Airways. Boeing, which acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997, said safety remains its top priority as it works with the FAA to figure out what caused the crash.

Federal investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from UPS Flight 2976. Investigators will use the recordings to reconstruct the jet’s final moments as it departed Louisville on Tuesday evening for Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Investigators will focus on how the left engine of the jet separated during rotation and pitch for climb. 

Security camera footage showing UPS flight 2976 left engine on fire shortly after lift off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. pic.twitter.com/j0Js01J7ja

— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) November 5, 2025

One angle of the crash appears to show the pilots of the doomed jet possibly dumping Jet A fuel in an attempt to reduce the aircraft’s mass, or there was a massive fuel leak. 

Dashcam video shows the crash of UPS Flight 2976 in Louisville, Kentucky. If you watch closely looks like the engine fell off during take off. pic.twitter.com/6amLvNFM4q

— Aviation (@webflite) November 6, 2025

The left engine was found on the runaway. 

The left-hand engine (minus cowlings and engine spar) of UPS flight 2976 sits adjacent to the runway in Louisville, having completely separated from the aircraft during take off, likely causing extensive damage to the wing and causing the post-impact fire pic.twitter.com/eItuWChXkZ

— PoliticalPilot (@PilotPoli) November 5, 2025

Hmm.

After the UPS Crash, Memories of Flight #AA191 Resurface

On May 25, 1979, an American Airlines DC-10 passenger aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Recorded as American Airlines Flight 191, the crash claimed the lives of all 271… pic.twitter.com/WoK4WsFGNy

— AirwayBuzz (@AirwayBuzz) November 5, 2025

What happened to the left engine?