The US Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday that it ordered the grounding of all Boeing (BA) MD-11 and MD-11F airplanes following a deadly Nov. 4 crash of a UPS (UPS) cargo plane in Louisville caused by a detached left engine and pylon during takeoff.
At least 14 people were killed in the crash, which struck nearby businesses.
The FAA said it "determined the unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design."
UPS said Friday that it has decided to temporarily ground its entire fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 planes, and FedEx (FDX) is reportedly doing the same.
"Out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety, we have made the decision to temporarily ground our MD-11 fleet," UPS said in a statement.
The company said the planes account for 9% of its fleet.
FedEx grounded 28 MD-11s out of 700 planes, Reuters reported.
Boeing, which acquired the MD-11 in its 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas, recommended Friday that MD-11 freighter flights have been suspended pending "additional engineering analysis" and backed the FAA directive.
FedEx did not immediately reply to MT Newswires' request for comment.