Video Fook shows heavy smoke in the sky near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) in Louisville, Kentucky, after a plane crashed on Tuesday. (Credit: @augiegeoo via X)
UPS Airlines is focusing its entire fleet on permanent cargo, in anticipation of months-long disruptions during the peak holiday season.
The airline does not expect its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11s, which were the type of aircraft involved in the fatal crash in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 4 to return to service for several months.
A UPS Cargo plane’s engine crashed and burst into flames shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. The plane bound for Honolulu fell at about 5:15 in the evening, hitting an industrial area nearby and killing 14 people, including three members of the crew of three and 11 people on the ground.
Black box data shows the plane only reached about 30 feet above altitude before crashing, and newly released images from the National Transportation Safety Board show the fire left.
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Fire and smoke marks from a cargo plane crash near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 04, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. The fully flaming plane crashed shortly after takeoff. (Stephen Cohen/Getty Images/Getty Images)
UPS temporarily grounded the fleet immediately after the crash, and began working to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines before returning to service.
The AP reported that the process was initially expected to take weeks, but now it will add several months, according to a memo from the President of MonOre Airlines.
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UPS temporarily grounded its cargo fleet immediately following the Nov. 4 crash, which killed 14 people. (Credit: x / @wt_mason)
On November 7, it was announced that its “MD-11 fleet” was announced out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of security. “
Airlines account for about 9% of the airline fleet.
“Emergency plans are in place to ensure we can continue to deliver the reliable service our customers around the world rely on,” PS said in a statement earlier this month.
Immediately after the crash, the FAA issued an emergency aircraft directive to owners and operators of the Boeing Company Model MD-11 and MD-11F AIRPLANES after other products were discontinued.
FedEx said that after the crash, its MD-11s were overloaded.
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The crash of Nov. 4 occurred near the UPS Worldport at the Louisville Airport. (Google Maps)
Fox Business has reached out for comment.
The accompanying device contributed to this report.
