UPS retires MD-11 aircraft after deadly plane crash in Kentucky

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) has officially retired the MD-11 aircraft after the plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky, that killed 15 people in November 2025. In a year end fiscal report released Tuesday morning, the company announced that UPS accelerated its fleet modernization plans, which completed the retirement of the MD-11 fleet during the fourth quarter of 2025. The company had about 26 to 28 MD-11s in its fleet. UPS provided the following statement to 10 Tampa Bay News about the decision: UPS has been planning to gradually retire its MD-11 fleet for several years, beginning with the first six aircraft in 2023. The recent peak season provided a real-world test of our network without the MD-11 fleet. The results were strong with UPS leading the industry in on-time performance for the 8th year in a row. This success demonstrated our ability to meet customer demand without relying on MD-11 capacity, allowing us to confidently accelerate retirements. We are still determining the disposition of the aircraft. Deadly Louisville UPS crash uncovers MD-11 safety concerns A UPS plane crashed on Nov. 4, 2025, shortly after taking off in Louisville, Kentucky, when the left engine flew off the wing as the plane rolled down the runway. Three pilots on the plane that was headed for Hawaii were killed along with 12 more people on the ground near Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport. The NTSB said that Boeing had documented in 2011 that there were four previous failures of a part that helps secure the MD-11's engines to the wings on three different planes, but at that point, the plane manufacturer “determined it would not result in a safety of flight condition.” The 34-year-old MD-11 plane only got 30 feet off the ground before crashing into several industrial buildings just past the runway and generating a massive fireball that could be seen for miles. Dramatic videos of the crash showed the plane on fire as it plowed into buildings and released a massive plume of smoke. Airlines quit flying this type of plane commercially years ago because it isn't as efficient as newer models, but they had continued to fly for cargo carriers like UPS and FedEx. All the MD-11s that had been in use and 10 related DC-10s have been grounded since the crash.