UPS has permanently retired all MD-11 planes from its fleet of aircraft following the deadly crash in Louisville in November.
The shipping company announced the move during a fourth-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, saying it had “accelerated its fleet modernization plans, completing the retirement of its MD-11 fleet” by the end of last year.
The crash on Nov. 4 killed the plane’s three-person crew and 12 others on the ground after the left engine fell off the wing shortly after takeoff from Muhammad Ali International Airport. The plane was only able to climb about 30 feet before it exploded on the ground and went careening into nearby businesses.
The crash triggered more explosions at a recycling plant and auto parts store, where many of the victims were employees or customers.
The Federal Aviation Administration indefinitely grounded all MD-11s in the aftermath of the crash. McDonnell Douglas built only 200 MD-11s before the aircraft was discontinued, according to simpleflying.com.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found a that crucial piece of the engine mount, known as a spherical bearing race, had split into two. The mount had cracks that weren’t caught while the plane was undergoing maintenance and the mounts hadn’t been inspected since 2021, according a preliminary report.
Boeing had warned about failures of that part in 2011, but said the flaw didn’t make the planes unsafe to fly.
An official cause of the crash has yet to be determined.
UPS CEO Carol Tome said the planes made up only about 9% of the company’s aircraft, and were already set to be gradually retired.
She added that UPS had shuffled around its fleet, leased planes and increased ground transportation during the holiday season. The company is also adding 18 new Boeing 767s in the next 15 months.
UPS owned and/or operated 27 MD-11 planes, according to a filing last year from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
