November 8, 2025 — Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD 2025-23-51) grounding all Boeing MD-11 and MD-11F aircraft following the fatal crash of a UPS Airlines freighter in Louisville, Kentucky on November 4th, where the left-hand engine and pylon detached during takeoff. The fiery accident, which killed a total of 14 people, has triggered an unprecedented suspension of the MD-11 fleet across all major operators.
While the cause of the detachment is currently under investigation, the FAA noted that “this condition could result in loss of continued safe flight and landing”.
In response to the crash, Boeing issued an alert bulletin urging operators to suspend MD-11 operations while engineering teams assess potential structural risks. All three U.S. operators—UPS, FedEx, and Western Global Airlines—have since grounded their aircraft pending inspections and FAA clearance.
We support the FAA’s airworthiness directive. With safety as our top priority, we had recommended to the three operators of the MD-11 Freighter that they suspend flight operations while additional engineering analysis is performed. We will remain in close communication with the operators as they work to follow the requirements of the airworthiness directive, said Boeing in a statement
As we flagged in our previous piece on the MD‑11 fleet, the type now averages more than 30 years of service in cargo duty, having long since exited passenger operations.
The 34-year-old MD-11F (serial 48417, registered N259UP) that crashed in Louisville was one of the oldest MD-11 in UPS’s active fleet. It first entered service in 1991 as a passenger airliner for Thai Airways and was converted into a freighter in 2006 and delivered to UPS later that year.
Emergency Directive Details
The FAA’s emergency directive, issued on November 8 and effective immediately, prohibits any further flight until each MD-11 and MD-11F has been inspected and corrective actions completed under methods approved by the Continued Operational Safety Branch (AIR-520) of FAA.
The agency said the directive was necessary to address “a condition that could result in loss of continued safe flight and landing.” Citing the urgency, the FAA bypassed the normal public-comment process under the Administrative Procedure Act, invoking emergency powers to make the rule effective immediately.
“An unsafe condition exists that requires the immediate adoption of this emergency AD,” the FAA stated, adding that the action is interim pending further investigation and possible permanent rulemaking.
Industry Response
Boeing confirmed it is working with both the FAA and NTSB to determine the cause of the failure and develop inspection guidance. “We are committed to supporting our customers and the authorities to ensure fleet safety,” a Boeing spokesperson said.
Both UPS and FedEx, which collectively operate around 54 MD-11 freighters, suspended operations “out of an abundance of caution.” Western Global Airlines, the third U.S. operator of the type, also grounded its fleet pending further instructions.
Out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety, we have made the decision to temporarily ground our MD-11 fleet. MD-11s are approximately 9% of the UPS Airlines fleet. The grounding is effective immediately. We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer, said UPS in its statement.
Is the Aging Workhorse Nearing the End of Its Flight Path?
The latest grounding places a harsh spotlight on the MD-11’s advancing age and the growing safety questions surrounding older freighters still in front-line service. As our earlier analysis noted, the tri-jet fleet now averages over three decades in operation. The aircraft involved in the crash had logged nearly 93,000 flight hours and over 21,000 cycles, and had recently undergone structural repairs.
Originally designed in the late 1980s as McDonnell Douglas’s flagship long-haul widebody, the MD-11 never achieved the commercial success of its twin-engine successors. Yet it found a second life in cargo service, prized for its payload and range. That endurance, however, has come with increasing maintenance demands and structural fatigue risks.
The Louisville tragedy underscores those concerns, reviving the broader debate over aging-aircraft management and lifecycle extension in the global freighter fleet. While NTSB and the FAA work toward identifying the precise failure that led to the UPS crash, the MD-11’s long and storied career may finally be approaching the end of its flight path.
Related:
UPS and FedEx Ground MD-11 Fleets After Boeing Safety Recommendation
UPS Cargo Jet Crashes After Takeoff in Louisville; Imagery Suggests Engine Separation
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