UPS and FedEx have temporarily stopped flying their McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighters following the Nov. 4 crash of a UPS MD-11 departing Louisville, Kentucky, that killed 14 people and ignited fires just beyond the airport perimeter. Both carriers said the stand-down was taken “out of an abundance of caution” after Boeing recommended MD-11 operators suspend flying while additional engineering analysis is performed. On Saturday, Nov. 8, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency action requiring immediate MD-11 inspections, effectively keeping the type on the ground until checks are completed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation.
The fleets in question are meaningful but not dominant pieces of the integrators’ networks: UPS lists MD-11s as roughly 9% of its aircraft, while FedEx says the type accounts for about 4% of its total. Reuters reports the two companies together operate just over 50 MD-11s (UPS 27; FedEx 28). Both companies said they have contingency plans in place to limit service disruption.
Early investigative details underscore why regulators and operators moved quickly. NTSB briefings indicate the UPS jet lost its left (No. 1) engine during the takeoff roll; a repeating bell sounded on the cockpit voice recorder about 37 seconds after the crew called for takeoff thrust, and continued until the end of the recording as pilots tried to control the aircraft.
Network impact: UPS paused portions of its Louisville Worldport operation after the accident before resuming with adjustments, and both integrators are now reflowing volume around a missing widebody subfleet right as the holiday push begins. Expect near‑term reroutes and equipment swaps, especially on longer domestic trunk lines and some transoceanic sectors, while grounded MD‑11 block hours are backfilled by 767s, 777s, 747s and ACMI lift where available. Both firms say they’re executing plans to keep time‑definite products moving, but some lanes may see day‑of‑week schedule changes and tighter sort windows. (This paragraph includes informed industry analysis.)
For trucking and brokerage audiences, the near‑term story is mode shift and cycle compression. When integrators lose a slice of widebody capacity during peak, shipments that can tolerate a one‑day hit often slide from two‑day air to premium ground. That typically lifts spot demand for team‑driven truckload, hot‑shot and expedited LTL in high‑velocity corridors (Mid‑South–Texas, Midwest–Southeast, SoCal–Mountain). It also tends to pull forward pickup times and narrow tender windows as parcels are consolidated into ground linehaul. Watch for short‑notice “air‑to‑ground” conversions from enterprise shippers and postal consolidators as the week of Nov. 10 opens. (Inference based on current events and historical network behavior.)
Postal and retail knock‑ons bear monitoring. Reuters notes UPS is a primary air carriage provider for USPS Priority products; if MD‑11 capacity remains offline for days, more postal and retail e‑commerce volume may flow across night‑time ground linehaul and daytime regional LTL, tightening linehaul and cross‑dock utilization through the weekend. (Inference; USPS reliance cited.)
What’s next on safety: The FAA’s emergency directive compels rapid inspections on the MD‑11/MD‑11F fleet; Boeing and operators are assisting the NTSB as it analyzes flight‑ and voice‑recorders and airfield evidence. Any return of the type will be paced by those inspections and the investigation’s early findings.
Longer‑term fleet context matters, too. Even before the accident, both integrators were retiring MD‑11s as part of broader cost and efficiency programs. FedEx has disclosed plans to phase out the type over the coming years, and UPS has been shrinking its MD‑11 count as newer twins take on more lift. Those strategies could ease medium‑term disruption if inspections linger or engineering changes are mandated.
What shippers can do now: tender earlier in the day; grant flexibility on pickup cutoffs; build in a one‑day buffer for heavy, long‑haul parcels; and confirm service‑guarantee policies with your carrier this week. Brokers should stage team capacity on parcel‑dense lanes out of Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana and Texas, and keep expedited carriers on standby for short‑fuse diversions. (Operational guidance.)
Sources: FreightWaves, Reuters, Washington Post, Associated Press, UPS Newsroom, Supply Chain Dive, Aviation Week
This article was prepared exclusively for TruckStopInsider.com. Republishing is permitted only with proper credit and a link back to the original source.
