Airworthiness Directive Issued Following Fatal UPS Freight Crash in Louisville

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive grounding all McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and MD-11F aircraft pending structural inspections following the fatal UPS crash in Louisville. The order, issued as Emergency Airworthability Directive 2025-23-51, comes after UPS Flight 2976 crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing 14 people. UPS and FedEx had already planned to retire their MD-11 fleets but will now accelerate the process. Western Global Airlines has also parked most of its aircraft. The NTSB is investigating the cause of the crash, focusing on engine separation.