UPS Retires MD-11 Fleet After Fatal Crash

On Tuesday, UPS revealed that it will be retiring its MD-11 aircraft fleet, just a few months following a tragic crash in Louisville that took the lives of 15 individuals.

During the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, CEO Carol Thome announced the decision to “accelerate our plans to retire all of our MD-11 aircraft.”

The crash, which occurred on November 4, resulted in the deaths of three crew members aboard the plane, along with twelve people on the ground near Muhammad Ali International Airport.

Witnesses reported that the left engine detached from the wing, with the plane only managing to climb roughly 9 meters before going down.

In response to the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all MD-11 planes. An FAA statement noted that the agency is assessing “all facts and circumstances” to determine if and when the MD-11 might be permitted to return to service.

MD-11s represented about 9% of the UPS fleet. According to Thome, the company faced an after-tax cost of $137 million in writing them off.

Thome also mentioned that UPS intends to acquire 18 new Boeing 767 aircraft over the next 15 months to help rebuild its fleet. During peak holiday periods, the company often must access planes from various locations, increase its ground capacity, and lease additional aircraft to meet demand.

An expression of gratitude followed, as Thome praised the Worldport team’s response to the crisis and thanked the Louisville community, as well as business partners, for their considerable support.

The National Transportation Safety Board reported that investigators discovered cracks in certain engine mount components that connect the engine to the wing. These cracks had gone unnoticed during regular inspections, the last of which took place in 2021.

The crash inflicted significant damage to the Louisville area, impacting the nearby Kentucky Oil Recycling Plant and causing a small explosion, as well as affecting the Grade A Auto Parts salvage yard, a location frequented by many of the victims.