UPS has grounded its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11’s, the type of plane involved in Tuesday’s deadly crash in Louisville, Kentucky, the company confirmed Friday.
UPS said the move to temporarily ground its MD-11 fleet was made “out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety.” MD-11s make up 9% of the company’s air fleet, it said.
“We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve,” UPS spokesman Jim Mayer said.
NBC News earlier Friday reported the grounding, citing two sources familiar. A photo seen by NBC news showed a screen in a plane that directed pilots to return and which read: “Per UPS MD11 are not to depart effective immediately.”
FedEx said early Saturday that it was also grounding its MD-11s. The UPS rival has 28 such planes in operation, out of a fleet of around 700, FedEx said.
At least 14 people have died in the crash, officials said. The UPS flight, headed from Louisville to Honolulu, crashed around 5:15 p.m. as it was taking off and struck an industrial area near the airport, causing a huge fire and killing the three crew in the plane and others on the ground.
A UPS MD-11 cargo plane sits idle on the tarmac on Wednesday at Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Ky.Michael Swensen / Getty Images
Video shows that the left engine of the plane caught fire during takeoff and immediately detached, National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said Wednesday.
The NTSB is the lead agency in the investigation.
On Friday night, Mayor Craig Greenberg said that the remains of a 14th victim had been found at the crash site.
“We pray for each of the victims’ families, and pray that no additional victims were lost as our first responders continue to search and seek answers,” Greenberg said in a video.
UPS is the largest employer in the Louisville metro area, with around 25,000 workers. The airport where the disaster happened, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, is a main hub for the company’s global air network.
Despite the grounding, UPS said Friday that “contingency plans are in place to ensure we can continue to deliver the reliable service our customers around the world count on.”
The company uses more than 500 UPS and chartered aircraft of six different types, including the MD-11, in its global operations, it says on its website.
FedEx also said it had plans to avoid disruptions.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to immediately ground our MD-11 fleet as we conduct a thorough inspection and safety review,” the company said. “We are immediately implementing contingency plans within our integrated air-ground network to minimize disruptions.”
