UPS Airlines has grounded an entire fleet of its cargo jets indefinitely, warning of months-long disruption during peak holiday season.
The airline does not expect its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11s, which was the type of plane involved in a deadly crash in Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 4 to return to service for several months, according to the Associated Press.
The UPS cargo plane’s engine fell off and burst into flames shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. The Honolulu-bound flight crashed at around 5:15 p.m., hitting a nearby industrial area and killing 14 people, including the three crew members and 11 people on the ground.
Black box data indicates the plane only reached about 30 feet above ground level prior to the crash, and newly released images from the National Transportation Safety Board show a fire igniting on the left engine.
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UPS temporarily grounded the fleet immediately following the crash, and began working to meet Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) guidelines before returning to service.
AP reported that the process was initially expected to take weeks, but will now extend several months, according to a memo from UPS Airlines president Bill Moore.
“Regarding the MD-11 fleet, Boeing’s ongoing evaluation shows that inspections and potential repairs will be more extensive than initially expected,” Moore wrote in the memo.
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On Nov. 7, UPS announced it had grounded its MD-11 fleet “out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety.”
The planes account for roughly 9% of the airline’s fleet.
“Contingency plans are in place to ensure we can continue to deliver the reliable service our customers around the world count on,” UPS said in the statement earlier this month.
Immediately following the crash, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive to owners and operators of the Boeing Company Model MD-11 and MD-11F airplanes after it determined the unsafe condition was likely to exist in other products.
FedEx said after the crash that it was also grounding its MD-11s.
Fox Business has reached out to UPS for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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