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BumRushDaShow

(163,346 posts) Sat Nov 8, 2025, 07:48 PM Nov 8

FAA bars MD-11 flights for now after fiery UPS jet crash

Source: Reuters

November 8, 2025 6:37 PM EST Updated 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday issued an order prohibiting MD-11 planes from flying for now, pending inspection, after a fiery crash this week of a UPS (UPS.N) MD-11 cargo freighter killed at least 14 people in Louisville, Kentucky.

UPS and FedEx (FDX.N) said they have already grounded their combined fleet of more than 50 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes following a recommendation by planemaker Boeing (BA.N).

The FAA said its emergency airworthiness directive was prompted by the crash on Tuesday in which the left engine and pylon detached from the airplane 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 fleet of 26 MD-11 planes, representing about 9% of its fleet. Boeing said on Saturday that it supports the FAA order.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/faa-issues-order-prohibiting-md-11-flights-pending-inspection-after-fiery-ups-2025-11-08/

This is for ALL airlines now (not just the shipping companies).

8 replies

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Highlight:

FAA bars MD-11 flights for now after fiery UPS jet crash (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Nov 8 OP

I don't know if any of the airlines are using MD11s any more, Ocelot II Nov 8 #1

I think they did it because there are other freight carriers that didn't announce a voluntary halt BumRushDaShow Sunday #2

Back during the CA fires... Hugin Sunday #3

I know that DC-10s have been used for that function BumRushDaShow Sunday #4

No MD-11are used for passenger service. The last commercial passenger flight of an MD-11 was operated by KLM in 2014 EX500rider Sunday #5

I didn't think so. They had a lot of problems from the beginning. Ocelot II Sunday #6

Relaxation of ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) regulations killed them EX500rider Sunday #7

Looks like they are only used for cargo now. Only 200... keep_left Sunday #8

Ocelot II

(128,304 posts)

1. I don't know if any of the airlines are using MD11s any more,

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sat Nov 8, 2025, 08:06 PM

Nov 8

but the same thing happened with the DC10s after the crash at ORD.

BumRushDaShow

(163,346 posts)

2. I think they did it because there are other freight carriers that didn't announce a voluntary halt

Reply to Ocelot II (Reply #1)

Sun Nov 9, 2025, 04:33 AM

Sunday

like UPS and Fedex did. Wikipedia mentions this one - Western Global Airlines that apparently does leasing, charters and military contract flights.

Hugin

(37,136 posts)

3. Back during the CA fires...

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Reply #2)

Sun Nov 9, 2025, 06:09 AM

Sunday

I saw a photo of a MD-11 dropping slurry. I guess it could have been AI slop, but I recall there was talk of using them in that role. I would think that a ground order would include those as well.

BumRushDaShow

(163,346 posts)

4. I know that DC-10s have been used for that function

Reply to Hugin (Reply #3)

Sun Nov 9, 2025, 06:52 AM

Sunday

but I suppose with the biggest fires, they are sometimes forced to pull out everything that they can that can dump.

EX500rider

(12,100 posts)

5. No MD-11are used for passenger service. The last commercial passenger flight of an MD-11 was operated by KLM in 2014

Reply to Ocelot II (Reply #1)

Sun Nov 9, 2025, 10:20 AM

Sunday

Ocelot II

(128,304 posts)

6. I didn't think so. They had a lot of problems from the beginning.

Reply to EX500rider (Reply #5)

Sun Nov 9, 2025, 10:27 AM

Sunday

EX500rider

(12,100 posts)

7. Relaxation of ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) regulations killed them

Reply to Ocelot II (Reply #6)

Sun Nov 9, 2025, 10:34 AM

Sunday

The MD-11 is primarily used for cargo operations and not passengers due to a combination of economic factors, performance issues that made it less competitive for passenger airlines, and characteristics that are highly valued by cargo carriers.

Reasons for Decline in Passenger Service
Inefficient Trijet Configuration: The MD-11's three-engine design became economically unviable for passenger airlines after the relaxation of ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) regulations. ETOPS allowed more fuel-efficient, twin-engine aircraft (like the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330) to fly long-haul, over-ocean routes with lower fuel and maintenance costs.

Failure to Meet Advertised Performance: The aircraft did not meet its original advertised range and fuel-burn targets, requiring some passenger flights to make unscheduled fuel stops or carry less payload. This was a major drawback for airlines like Singapore Airlines, which canceled their orders.

Challenging Handling Characteristics: The MD-11's smaller horizontal tail surface, designed for efficiency, reportedly made it more challenging to land, contributing to some incidents and potentially higher pilot training costs.

Negative Reputation: As an update to the DC-10, the MD-11 inherited some of the former's negative reputation, despite design improvements.

Reasons for Success in Cargo Service
Low Acquisition Cost: After passenger airlines phased out their MD-11s, cargo carriers were able to acquire them at significantly reduced prices. This low capital cost outweighed the aircraft's higher fuel burn for freighter operations.

Favorable Payload Capacity: The MD-11 has a high maximum takeoff weight and a good payload-to-volume ratio, making it well-suited for carrying dense cargo.

Operational Suitability: Cargo operations often involve less time in the air compared to long-haul passenger routes, making the MD-11's fuel inefficiency less of a primary concern.

Availability of Airframes: The large number of used passenger MD-11s available for conversion provided a ready supply of aircraft for cargo companies like FedEx and UPS to convert into dedicated freighters.

In essence, the MD-11 was economically outcompeted by newer, more efficient twin-engine jets for passenger service but found a second life as a workhorse in the cargo industry due to its strong structural capabilities and low purchase price

keep_left

(3,115 posts)

8. Looks like they are only used for cargo now. Only 200...

Reply to Ocelot II (Reply #1)

Sun Nov 9, 2025, 12:52 PM

Sunday

...were built; the MD-11 wasn't the big hit that the earlier DC-10 was. Supposedly that's because Douglas was in a lot of financial trouble, and they basically blew it on the design (the plane wasn't anywhere near cutting-edge at the time, and it was also a fuel-guzzler).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_MD-11#Operators
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_MD-11#Production_and_performance_issues

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