Following a fatal crash near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport last fall, UPS accelerated a years-long phaseout by permanently retiring its entire fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo aircraft.
The first announcement since UPS Flight 2976 crashed shortly after takeoff on November 4, killing 15 people, including the three-person flight crew and multiple people on the ground, was made on Tuesday during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. The crash is the deadliest in UPS Airlines’ history.
UPS CEO Carol Tomé addressed the tragedy during the call, offering condolences to those affected.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of those who lost their lives and everyone impacted by this accident,” Tomé said. “I am incredibly proud of our Worldport team and thankful for the support shown by the Louisville community and our industry partners.”
Accelerated retirement and cost
The MD-11 was already being retired by UPS, which announced in late 2022 that nine of the aircraft would be taken out of service in 2023 and replaced with more modern Boeing aircraft. The company had planned to retire at least one MD-11 in 2025 before the crash.
UPS owned and/or operated 27 MD-11 aircraft, according to a September 30, 2025, filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All of the MD-11s that are still in service have been permanently retired, the company confirmed on Tuesday.
A $137 million non-cash, after-tax write-off was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025 as a result of the decision. Over the course of the upcoming year, Boeing 767 freighters will largely replace the aircraft, according to UPS, and staffing shortages are not anticipated as a result.
Details of the Louisville crash
Constructed in 1991, the MD-11 involved in the Nov. 4 crash was fully fueled for a lengthy flight to Honolulu when it crashed at approximately 5:15 p.m., just seconds after taking off from UPS Worldport. According to investigators, the plane only ascended thirty feet before it crashed and caught fire south of the airport, causing damage to surrounding businesses.
The aircraft’s left engine caught fire and detached during takeoff, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report. Later, investigators discovered overstress failure and fatigue cracking in the bearing assembly that held the engine to the wing.
According to NTSB officials, Boeing was aware of comparable bearing failures over ten years ago, but it decided at the time that they did not present a risk to flight safety. The agency is now reviewing inspection practices, airline maintenance procedures, and communications between Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration. A final report is expected later in 2026.
Industry response
Following the crash, UPS and FedEx grounded their MD-11 fleets “out of an abundance of caution,” with the FAA subsequently prohibiting MD-11 flights until inspections and corrective actions were completed. The aircraft type is used exclusively for cargo operations.
MD-11s made up about 4% of FedEx’s fleet and 9% of UPS’s at the time. Although the majority of its aircraft have been put in storage, Western Global Airlines is currently the only cargo carrier in the United States still using MD-11s.
Months later, the Louisville crash site is still being cleaned up, and several lawsuits pertaining to the incident are still pending.
This article appears in Jan 1-31, 2026.