UPS Retires All MD‑11 Cargo Planes After Louisville Crash as FAA Keeps Fleet Grounded
After the Nov. 4, 2025 Louisville crash that killed three crew and 12 people on the ground, UPS announced it has retired its entire MD‑11 freighter fleet—about 9% of its aircraft—took a $137 million after‑tax charge and is leasing planes, shifting aircraft from overseas and taking delivery of 18 Boeing 767s over the next 15 months to rebuild capacity. The FAA has grounded all MD‑11s while it reviews “all the facts and circumstances,” and NTSB investigators reported a fractured left‑engine mounting spherical bearing race—known to have failed at least four times previously and discussed in a 2011 Boeing service letter that said it “would not result in a safety of flight condition”—may have contributed to the crash; Boeing issued a brief statement supporting the NTSB probe but did not address the report’s findings.
📌 Key Facts
- The Nov. 4, 2025 UPS MD‑11 freighter lost its left engine during takeoff from Louisville at about 200 mph, killing three pilots, killing 12 people on the ground and destroying a business complex.
- The NTSB’s report cites Boeing’s 2011 service letter, which said MD‑11 engine‑mount fractures 'would not result in a safety of flight condition,' and notes the same component had fractured in at least four prior incidents across three aircraft.
- The NTSB has not yet issued an official probable cause, but says cracks in the left‑engine mounting assembly 'may have contributed' to the crash.
- Investigators found the failed spherical bearing race broken in two pieces with cracked mounting lugs; the last detailed inspection of the mount was in October 2021, with roughly 7,000 cycles remaining before the next scheduled inspection.
- Records show McDonnell Douglas in 1980, after the 1979 American DC‑10 crash, had identified the same spherical bearing race failures as a 'safety of flight condition'; experts say Boeing’s 2011 bulletin down‑graded that language, allowing operators to keep older bearings rather than requiring the redesigned part, and the FAA never followed up with an airworthiness directive.
- Boeing issued a brief statement expressing support for the NTSB investigation and condolences but did not address the substance of the report’s findings.
- The FAA grounded all MD‑11s after the Louisville crash and says it is still reviewing 'all the facts and circumstances' in deciding whether to allow the type to fly again.
- UPS CEO Carol Tomé announced UPS has retired its entire MD‑11 cargo fleet (about 9% of UPS’s fleet), taking an after‑tax charge of $137 million; UPS is rebuilding capacity by leasing aircraft, shifting planes from overseas, adding ground transport and expects delivery of 18 new Boeing 767s over the next 15 months. UPS’s CEO praised the Worldport team’s response and thanked the Louisville community and partners for their support.
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 27, 2026
10:27 PM
UPS retires its fleet of MD-11 cargo aircraft involved in deadly Kentucky crash
New information:
- UPS CEO Carol Tomé announced on a Q4 earnings call that UPS has retired its entire MD‑11 cargo fleet, accelerating prior plans after the Nov. 4 Louisville crash.
- MD‑11s represented about 9% of UPS’s fleet, and the company took an after‑tax charge of $137 million to write them off.
- UPS plans to take delivery of 18 new Boeing 767s over the next 15 months to rebuild capacity and had to lease aircraft, shift planes from overseas, and add ground transport during the recent peak season.
- The FAA grounded all MD‑11s after the Louisville crash and says it is still reviewing "all the facts and circumstances" in deciding whether to let the type fly again.
- UPS’s CEO publicly praised the Worldport team’s response and thanked the Louisville community and business partners for support after the crash.
January 15, 2026
3:46 AM
Part that broke in UPS cargo plane crash had failed 4 other times, NTSB says
New information:
- Confirms the Nov. 4, 2025 UPS MD‑11 freighter lost its left engine during takeoff from Louisville at about 200 mph, killing three pilots and 12 people on the ground and destroying a business complex.
- Details that Boeing’s 2011 service letter documented four earlier failures of the MD‑11 engine‑mount spherical bearing race on three aircraft but 'determined it would not result in a safety of flight condition.'
- Notes that McDonnell Douglas in a 1980 bulletin, after the 1979 American Airlines DC‑10 crash, had identified the same spherical bearing race failures as a 'safety of flight condition,' raising questions about why Boeing downgraded that language in 2011.
- Adds expert criticism that the 2011 bulletin allowed operators to install older, failure‑prone bearings instead of requiring the redesigned part, and that FAA never followed up with an airworthiness directive.
- Specifies that the failed bearing race was found broken in two pieces and its mounting lugs were cracked, and that the last detailed inspection of the mount was in October 2021 with roughly 7,000 cycles left before the next scheduled inspection.
1:25 AM
Boeing Knew About Flaws in UPS Plane That Crashed in Louisville, N.T.S.B. Says
New information:
- NTSB’s new report squarely cites Boeing’s 2011 service letter and highlights Boeing’s statement that MD‑11 engine‑mount fractures 'would not result in a safety of flight condition.'
- The article reiterates that the same component had fractured in at least four prior incidents across three different aircraft before the Louisville crash.
- It confirms the NTSB has not yet issued an official probable cause but says cracks in the left‑engine mounting assembly 'may have contributed' to the November 4, 2025 crash.
- Boeing issued a brief statement saying it supports the NTSB investigation and offers condolences, but did not address the substance of the report’s findings.
January 14, 2026