MD-11 Cargo Planes Involved in UPS Crash Return to Service

FedEx Resumes MD-11 Flights After FAA Approves Boeing's Fix

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved Boeing's proposed fix for the MD-11 cargo planes, allowing FedEx to resume flying the aircraft over the weekend. The decision comes after a crash in November 2025, in which three pilots and 12 people on the ground were killed when a UPS jet's engine fell off as it took off from Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport.

The FAA grounded all MD-11s following the crash due to concerns about the safety of the planes. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had previously documented four failures of a key spherical bearing that helps secure the MD-11's engines to the wings, dating back to 2011. Boeing had determined at the time that the failures would not result in a safety of flight condition, but the FAA's concerns led to the grounding of the fleet.

FedEx had remained committed to getting the MD-11s back in the air, despite accounting for only about 4% of its total fleet. The company owns 46 of these planes, although it had been storing more than two dozen of them even before the crash. FedEx stated that it worked closely with Boeing, the FAA, and its own experts to inspect and repair its planes, and the government certified that it had complied with Boeing's recommendations.

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The FAA's approval of Boeing's fix involves replacing the key spherical bearing and stepping up inspections of the parts that hold the engines to the wings. Aviation lawyers representing some of the families that have sued over the Louisville crash expressed hope that the FAA ensured the planes will be safe before allowing them to return to flight.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti expressed surprise that it took this long to get the planes flying again, given how quickly the NTSB identified key concerns that likely contributed to the engine falling off. Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the NTSB and FAA, stated that he is confident that the solution will work and that the MD-11s will be safe with regards to their engines after the corrective actions are made.

FedEx plans to eventually retire its MD-11s and replace them with more efficient models, a long-term plan announced before the crash.

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