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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Saturday issued an order prohibiting MD-11 planes from flying, pending inspection, after a fiery crash of a UPS cargo freighter that killed at least 14 people in Louisville, Ky., on Tuesday.
UPS and FedEx said they have already grounded their combined fleet of more than 50 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes following a recommendation by planemaker Boeing.
The FAA said its emergency airworthiness directive was prompted by Tuesday’s crash, in which the left engine and pylon detached from the plane during takeoff. The cause of the detachment is under investigation.
“This condition could result in loss of continued safe flight and landing,” the U.S. regulator said.
UPS said it was in compliance with the directive because it has grounded its 26 MD-11 planes, which represent about nine per cent of its fleet.
Boeing said on Saturday that it supports the FAA order.
Boeing acquired the MD-11 program through its 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas.
Officials said the FAA is likely to require comprehensive engine and pylon inspections before allowing the planes to resume service.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is leading the probe into the crash of the 34-year-old MD-11 freighter at the airport.
The plane, which had three people aboard, crashed about 5:15 p.m. local time as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS’s global aviation hub in Louisville.
A UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after taking off from the Louisville, Ky., airport Tuesday, killing at least 12 people, with officials warning the death toll could climb. Shopkeeper Sabit Aliyev describes what it was like to witness the crash.
After being cleared for takeoff a large fire developed in the left wing, said Todd Inman, a member of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, on Wednesday.
Airport security video “shows the left engine detaching from the wing during the takeoff roll,” he said.
The plane gained enough altitude to clear the fence at the end of the runway before crashing.
Flames consumed the enormous aircraft and spread to nearby businesses.
On Friday, U.S. safety investigators said the three UPS pilots on board had tried to wrestle control of the plane just before it crashed.
