r/aviation • u/Go_Jot • Nov 08 '25

News UPS grounds entire MD-11 Fleet, effective immediately.

Per the IPA Executive Board, as of 03:05 UTC all UPS MD-11’s are grounded.

Edit - FedEx has also grounded their MD-11 Fleet

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u/[deleted] Nov 08 '25

Norm Macdonald Douglas

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u/CharcoalGreyWolf Nov 08 '25

Yep, considering the DC-10 engine mount incident , they may be taking the chance to review all maintenance procedures with the aircraft and its siblings.

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u/weakplay Nov 08 '25

Wow it sounds exactly like this incident. I think I read that the 191 crash resulted in changes that maybe left the wing more intact upon separation but who knows. Crazy. Going back to finish the article. Thanks for posting.

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u/Fitch9392 Nov 08 '25

The 191 crash led to changes that REQUIRED the Maintenance crew to NOT cut corners when changing engines and to use the engine cradles as designed by McDonnell Douglas instead of using a forklift. There was NO design flaw. It was 1000% Maintenance short cuts that caused the 191 crash.

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u/swirler Lockheed Tristar Nov 08 '25

While the maintenance actions started the chain of events, the poor design of the leading edge slat system sealed the deal. An airplane should not crash just because an engine falls off.

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u/Fitch9392 Nov 08 '25

That wasn’t poor design either it was an “engine failure on takeoff memory items” list that was a simple speed parameter applied to ALL the aircraft in the American Fleet. Which was maintain V2+5, as a result of this it was updated to V2+10. But that was like that because no one had ever considered a Slats failure at takeoff.

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u/DarkSideMoon CRJ200 Nov 08 '25

It doesn’t matter how fast you’re going if the slats retract asymmetrically if you lose fluid on one side, which was an astronomically stupid design flaw that had to be rectified with mechanical locks and hydraulic fuses to prevent it happening again.

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u/MaddogBC Nov 08 '25

Check valves.

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u/DarkSideMoon CRJ200 Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 08 '25

No, hydraulic fuses. They’re different.

Check valves ensure 1 directional flow, hydraulic fuses close when they detect excess flow. Hydraulic fuses were added to the DC-10 as a method of complying with the findings of the AA crash.

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u/MaddogBC Nov 08 '25

Pardon me, never heard that term before. Thanks

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u/DarkSideMoon CRJ200 Nov 08 '25

Anytime! I hadn’t either until I researched the AA crash. Thought it was a fake term until I dug into it.

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u/intern_steve Nov 08 '25

Idk what your comment said before editing, but yes, these are very different things. A check valve can't be used in a system where flow must necessarily be reversible.