US grounds MD-11 cargo planes after deadly crash

LOUISVILLE

The U.S. civil aviation regulator has ordered that all MD-11 cargo planes remain grounded for inspections, after one of them was involved in a deadly crash in Kentucky this week.

A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft operated by UPS exploded into flames when it crashed shortly after departing on Nov. 4 from the airport in Louisville, killing at least 14 people. A three-person crew was aboard.

Freight carriers UPS and FedEx later grounded their MD-11 fleets, while Boeing, which owns McDonnell Douglas, said it had recommended that all operators suspend their use of the planes.

On Nov. 8, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency directive that "prohibits further flight until the airplane is inspected and all applicable corrective actions are performed."

The directive applies to the MD-11 and MD-11F models and says it "was prompted by an accident where the left-hand engine and pylon detached from the airplane during takeoff."

"The agency has determined the unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design," it said.

McDonnell Douglas originally made the MD-11 but was acquired by Boeing in 1997.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said another crash victim had been located, bringing the total number to 14.

The plane, filled with around 38,000 gallons (144,000 liters) of fuel for the long-haul flight to Hawaii, narrowly missed a major Ford vehicle assembly plant that employs about 3,000 people.