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The MD-11 cargo planes involved in last fall's deadly UPS crash in Kentucky return to the air

Nbcwashington · · 611 words · By Josh Funk; The Associated Press
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/md-11-cargo-planes-in-…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

15 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
schedule Pending 5
verified Verified By Reference 3
info Single Source 1
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“The model of cargo plane that crashed in Kentucky last fall after an engine fell off a UPS jet as it was taking off resumed flying over the weekend.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (ABC News, AP via web search, and a dedicated news report on MD-11 return to service) confirm that the MD-11 cargo planes resumed flying over the weekend following the UPS crash in Kentucky.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is an American trijet wide-body airliner which was manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and later by Boeing. The MD-11 is the largest trijet ever built. Following DC-10 develo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_MD-11
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — UPS Airlines is a major American cargo airline based in Louisville, Kentucky. One of the largest cargo airlines worldwide in terms of freight volume flown, UPS Airlines flies to 815 destinations world…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPS_Airlines
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — UPS Airlines Flight 2976 was a scheduled domestic cargo flight in the United States from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, to Honolulu, Hawaii. On November 4, 2025…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPS_Airlines_Flight_2976
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The Federal Aviation Administration said it approved Boeing’s proposed fix for the workhorse MD-11s “after extensive review.””
CORROBORATED
Both Bloomberg and AP News explicitly state that the FAA approved Boeing's proposed fix for the MD-11s 'after extensive review.'
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Boeing 717 is an American five-abreast narrow-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The twin-engine airliner was developed for the 100-seat market and originally marketed by McDon…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_717
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is an American trijet wide-body airliner which was manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and later by Boeing. The MD-11 is the largest trijet ever built. Following DC-10 develo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_MD-11
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_MD-80
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“FedEx started flying them to deliver packages again Sunday.”
CORROBORATED
AP News and a separate report on FedEx test flights confirm that FedEx resumed flying the MD-11s for package delivery on Sunday.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — American Airlines Flight 191 was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to Los Angeles International Airport. On the afternoon of May 25, 1979, th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_191
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — China Airlines Flight 642 was a scheduled flight that crashed at Hong Kong (Chek Lap Kok) International Airport on 22 August 1999. It was operating from Bangkok (Bangkok International Airport, now ren…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Airlines_Flight_642
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Petaluma Municipal Airport (FAA LID: O69) is a public airport one mile (1.6 km) northeast of Petaluma, in Sonoma County, California, United States. It covers 220 acres (89 ha) and has one runway measu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petaluma_Municipal_Airport
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“The UPS plane crashed in November 2025 shortly after taking off once the left engine flew off the wing as the plane rolled down the runway.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entry for 'UPS Airlines Flight 2976' confirms the crash occurred on November 4, 2025, at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, and the MD-11 Wikipedia page notes the FAA grounding followed the crash.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 operators lists current and former operators, in transport of cargo and passengers. However, as of November 2025, both remaining operators have grounded their flee…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_McDonnell_Douglas_MD-1…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is an American trijet wide-body airliner which was manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and later by Boeing. The MD-11 is the largest trijet ever built. Following DC-10 develo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_MD-11
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — UPS Airlines Flight 2976 was a scheduled domestic cargo flight in the United States from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, to Honolulu, Hawaii. On November 4, 2025…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPS_Airlines_Flight_2976
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Three pilots on the plane that was headed for Hawaii loaded with packages and fuel were killed along with 12 more people on the ground near Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (AOL, a dedicated UPS crash report, and a FedEx test flight report) confirm the deaths of three pilots and 12 people on the ground near the Louisville airport.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (IATA: SDF, ICAO: KSDF, FAA LID: SDF) – also known by its former official names as Standiford Field and Louisville International Airport – is a civil-mili…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville_Muhammad_Ali_Intern…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — UPS Airlines is a major American cargo airline based in Louisville, Kentucky. One of the largest cargo airlines worldwide in terms of freight volume flown, UPS Airlines flies to 815 destinations world…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPS_Airlines
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — UPS Airlines Flight 2976 was a scheduled domestic cargo flight in the United States from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, to Honolulu, Hawaii. On November 4, 2025…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPS_Airlines_Flight_2976
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Boeing developed a plan to replace a key spherical bearing and step up inspections of the parts that hold the engines to the wings.”
CORROBORATED
NTSB and FAA reports confirm the issue centered on the spherical bearing and the need for increased inspections of the engine pylon to wing attachment.
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web search NEUTRAL — The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model MD-11 and MD-11F airplanes. This AD was prompted by an accident where the left-hand engine and pylon detached fr…
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/14/2025-19…
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web search NEUTRAL — The NTSB has confirmed the component at the center of the investigation, the metal housing around the spherical bearing connecting the engine pylon to the wing had a documented history of four prior f…
https://aviationtoday.in/investigation/ntsb-examines-boeing-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Boeing warned of MD-11 engine bearing risks years before the UPS crash, as NTSB findings raise questions over inspection and oversight.
https://aerospaceglobalnews.com/news/boeing-md-11-engine-bea…
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“The National Transportation Safety Board has said that in 2011 Boeing had documented four previous failures of the part that helps secure the MD-11’s engines to the wings on three different planes”
CORROBORATED
Two separate reports (one citing NTSB and another reporting on Boeing's knowledge of flaws) confirm that Boeing documented four failures of the spherical bearing on three different planes in a February 2011 service letter.
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web search NEUTRAL — MD-11 BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter): Boeing and its group of international affiliates offer a conversion of used passenger airliners into freighters.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_MD-11
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web search NEUTRAL — NTSB says Boeing warned plane owners in 2011 about a flaw in the part that failed and contributed to the engine flying off a UPS plane before it crashed and killed 15 in November.
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/01/14/part-that-broke-ups…
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web search NEUTRAL — 14, the NTSB stated Boeing documented four failures of its MD-11 planes’ spherical bearing races, which secure engines to an aircraft’s wings, in a service letter published in Feb. 2011. These failure…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/boeing-knew-flaws-linked…
verified
“These planes were built by McDonnell Douglas, which was later bought by Boeing.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly states the MD-11 was manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and later by Boeing.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is an American trijet wide-body airliner which was manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and later by Boeing. The MD-11 is the largest trijet ever built. Following DC-10 develo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_MD-11
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web search NEUTRAL — The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 made its first flight more than 31 years ago, in January 1990. However, its story can be traced back significantly further to a previous McDonnell Douglas trijet design.
https://simpleflying.com/md-11-rise-fall/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a wide-body trijet that first flew in January 1990 and entered airline service the same year. Designed as a stretched, modernised successor to the DC-10, it promised lon…
https://djsaviation.net/md-11-history-end-of-era/
verified
“The FAA grounded all MD-11s after the crash because of concerns that the planes might not be safe.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The Wikipedia page for the MD-11 states that on November 8, 2025, the FAA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive grounding all MD-11 aircraft.
info
“Earlier this year, UPS retired its entire fleet of the aircraft, which made up about 9% of its total fleet.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that UPS retired its fleet following the crash is mentioned in the 'FedEx begins first MD-11 test flights' report, but the specific percentage (9%) is not corroborated by other provided sources.
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“FedEx had remained committed to getting them back in the air even though they only account for about 4% of its fleet.”
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“The other package hauler that used MD-11s, Western Global Airlines, has not commented publicly since the crash”
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“It owns 46 of these planes though even before the crash it had been storing more than two dozen of them.”
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“FedEx does plan to eventually retire its MD-11s and replace them with more efficient models.”
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“The NTSB is planning two days of investigative hearings on the UPS crash next week”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.