LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky congressman is urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ground all MD-11 aircraft following a fatal crash in Louisville last November.
The UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, resulting in 15 fatalities. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues to investigate the accident, noting preliminary findings of pylon issues and fatigue cracks. Officials stated that Boeing was aware of these flaws but did not deem them unsafe to fly.
The FAA temporarily grounded the MD-11 post-crash, and UPS has since retired its fleet of the aircraft. However, MD-11 freighters remain operational, particularly within FedEx.
Rep. Morgan McGarvey demanded the FAA to take action, stating, “Families have lost loved ones…we have a collective responsibility to ensure…no additional lives are put at risk by an aircraft whose design and operational history have repeatedly demonstrated an unacceptable level of danger.”
According to McGarvey, the MD-11 has reported at least ten hull loss accidents since 1990, the highest hull loss rate of any wide-body commercial jet still in service in the U.S.
He urged the FAA to permanently ground the aircraft, citing the safety record of the MD-11 and the NTSB's preliminary report on the Louisville incident.
For further details, McGarvey's full letter to the FAA is available online.