The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered MD-11 and MD-11F aircrafts to be grounded as authorities examine the lethal UPS airplane crash in Kentucky.

The emergency airworthiness directive got here after UPS and FedEx mentioned they’re voluntarily grounding their fleets of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes “out of an abundance of warning” following a lethal crash on the UPS world aviation hub in Louisville.

The FAA’s order was issued “as a result of the company has decided the unsafe situation is more likely to exist or develop in different merchandise of the identical kind design,” the doc obtained by CBS Information learn.

“We’re assessing any potential issues of safety and can guarantee acceptable corrective actions are taken,” the company mentioned in an announcement.

The crash on Tuesday at UPS Worldport killed 14 folks, together with the three pilots on the MD-11 that was headed for Honolulu. Nationwide Transportation Security Board official Todd Inman mentioned Thursday that the crashed airplane was a 1991 McDonnell Douglas 2 that had been “altered” right into a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Freighter.

MD-11 aircrafts make up about 9% of of the UPS airline fleet and 4% of the FedEx fleet, the businesses mentioned.

“We made this determination proactively on the advice of the plane producer,” a UPS assertion mentioned late Friday. “Nothing is extra essential to us than the protection of our staff and the communities we serve.”

FedEx mentioned in an e mail that will probably be grounding the aircrafts whereas it conducts “an intensive security evaluation based mostly on the advice of the producer.” 

The planes had been constructed by McDonnell Douglas, however the firm merged with Boeing in 1997, making Boeing the producer of report for the plane. Boeing advised CBS Information in an announcement that it made the advice to floor the plane “out of an abundance of warning.” 

Boeing’s Security Assessment Board assessed all obtainable details about the crash and decided that additional engineering evaluation was wanted, an organization spokesperson advised CBS Information through e mail. The producer really helpful pausing fleet operations whereas that evaluation was performed. Inman mentioned Thursday that the crashed airplane was at present being “dealt with” by Boeing. 

Boeing introduced in 1998 that it will be phasing out its MD-11 jetliner manufacturing, with closing deliveries due in 2000. There are about 70 MD-11 planes in operation right this moment. The planes are solely used to ferry cargo. FedEx and UPS every have about two dozen MD-11s, and a 3rd airline, Western World, has 16. Twelve of these planes had been already put in storage, in response to the aviation analytics agency Cirium. CBS Information reached out to Western World for touch upon the grounding. 

Flight data counsel the UPS MD-11 that crashed underwent upkeep whereas it was on the bottom in San Antonio, Texas, for greater than a month till mid-October. It’s not clear what work was executed.

The UPS cargo airplane was practically airborne Tuesday when a bell sounded within the cockpit, Inman mentioned throughout a briefing Friday. For the following 25 seconds, the bell rang and the pilots tried to manage the plane because it barely lifted off the runway, its left wing ablaze and lacking an engine, after which plowed into the bottom in a spectacular fireball. The airplane was carrying about 255,000 kilos of jet gas, in addition to as much as 20,000 packages. 

The cockpit voice recorder captured the bell, which sounded about 37 seconds after the crew referred to as for takeoff thrust, Inman mentioned. There are various kinds of alarms with various meanings, he mentioned, and investigators have not decided why the bell rang, although they know the left wing was burning and the engine on that facet had indifferent.

Inman mentioned it will be months earlier than a transcript of the cockpit recording is made public as a part of that investigation course of.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, mentioned the bell probably was signaling the engine fireplace.

“It occurred at some extent within the takeoff the place they had been probably previous their determination pace to abort the takeoff,” Guzzetti advised The Related Press after Inman’s information convention. “They had been probably previous their vital determination pace to stay on the runway and cease safely. … They will must totally examine the choices the crew might or might not have had.”

Dramatic video captured the plane crashing into companies and erupting in a fireball. Footage from telephones, vehicles and safety cameras has given investigators proof of what occurred from many alternative angles. Witnesses recalled chaos on the bottom. 

“It was explosion after explosion after explosion, so that you simply did not know when it was going to cease,” Georgie Dow, the chief monetary officer of an auto elements enterprise that was struck by the airplane, advised CBS Information. “It was so sizzling … You took a step again as a result of it was like warmth in your face. There was no going to assist.”

The UPS package deal dealing with facility in Louisville is the corporate’s largest. The hub employs greater than 20,000 folks within the area, handles 300 flights day by day and kinds greater than 400,000 packages an hour.

UPS Worldport operations resumed Wednesday night time with its Subsequent Day Air, or night time kind, operation, spokesperson Jim Mayer mentioned.

Kathryn Krupnik

contributed to this report.