Core Points - UPS and FedEx have grounded their MD-11 cargo planes following a fatal crash in Kentucky that resulted in 14 fatalities, including three pilots [1][4] - The crash involved a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 carrying 38,000 gallons of fuel, which impacted two buildings and caused significant fires [2][4] - UPS's decision to ground its MD-11 fleet, which constitutes about 9% of its total fleet, was made proactively based on the aircraft manufacturer's recommendation [2][4] - FedEx, operating 28 MD-11s out of a total fleet of around 700, is also grounding its MD-11s for a thorough safety review [4][5] - The majority of Western Global Airlines' MD-11 aircraft have been put into storage, with 12 out of 16 already grounded [6] Incident Details - The MD-11 that crashed was nearly airborne when a warning bell sounded in the cockpit, indicating a critical issue [9] - The cockpit voice recorder revealed that the bell rang for 25 seconds while the pilots attempted to control the aircraft, which had a burning left wing and a missing engine [9][10] - Flight records indicate that the MD-11 underwent maintenance for over a month until mid-October, but the specifics of the maintenance performed remain unclear [10]
UPS and FedEx ground fleet of cargo planes after deadly Kentucky crash