The FAA has barred all MD-11 flights after a UPS cargo jet crash killed 14, requiring inspections after an engine detached during takeoff
WASHINGTON: The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued an order prohibiting all MD-11 aircraft from flying pending inspections.
This emergency directive follows a fiery UPS MD-11 cargo freighter crash in Louisville, Kentucky, that killed at least 14 people.
UPS and FedEx have already grounded their combined fleet of more than 50 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes.
The FAA’s airworthiness directive was prompted by the crash where the left engine and pylon detached from the airplane during takeoff.
“This condition could result in loss of continued safe flight and landing,” the US regulator said.
UPS confirmed it is in compliance, having grounded its 26 MD-11 planes which represent about 9% of its fleet.
Boeing, which acquired the MD-11 program through its 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas, said it supports the FAA order.
Officials stated the FAA is likely to require comprehensive engine and pylon inspections before allowing the planes to resume service.
The US National Transportation Safety Board is leading the probe into the crash of the 34-year-old MD-11 freighter.
The plane reached about 100 feet above ground level before plunging in flames off the runway, destroying two nearby businesses.
One of the plane’s three engines detached from the left wing as it rolled down the Louisville airport runway.
US safety investigators revealed that three UPS pilots tried to wrestle control of the plane just before it crashed as a warning bell sounded in the cockpit. – Reuters
