US FAA Issues Emergency Directive After Fatal MD-11 Crash in Kentucky

The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued an emergency airworthiness directive grounding all McDonnell Douglas MD-11s pending structural inspections following a fatal crash of a UPS freighter in Louisville, Kentucky. The directive comes after UPS and FedEx had already grounded their combined fleets of around 50 aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash and reviewing recent maintenance at the scene. The FAA warns that inspections and corrective actions must be completed before further flight. The grounding affects around 100 active MD-11s worldwide, mostly operated by UPS and FedEx.