U.S. aviation officials on Tuesday ordered all models of a cargo plane that crashed during takeoff in Kentucky to ground.
This comes after a Boeing MD-11 aircraft operated by UPS burst into flames on the tarmac at Louisville International Airport and then crashed into a nearby business, killing 14 people.
The U.S. shipping company previously said it would suspend flights pending an ongoing investigation, and FedEx followed suit.
Now, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an official notice prohibiting all MD-11 and MD11F aircraft from flying until safety inspections are conducted.
A total of 70 models are in use by UPS, FedEx, and Western Global Airlines.
FAA officials said the Kentucky crash occurred after the plane’s left engine caught fire and separated from the wing during takeoff.
The aircraft was carrying 38,000 gallons (144,000 liters) of fuel when it took off for a flight to Hawaii, which contributed to the size of the fire after the crash.
Boeing said it welcomed the directive and recommended that three companies already using the model stop operating the model “out of an abundance of caution.”
It’s unclear whether the order will affect U.S. delivery services, and none of the three companies have reported disruptions so far.
Over the past week, 55 MD-11 aircraft have been used, according to data compiled by real-time air traffic website FlightRadar24.
“Contingency plans are in place to flexibly utilize our integrated air and ground networks to protect the uninterrupted movement of time-sensitive and critical cargo, including life-saving pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other products, through our network,” FedEx said in a statement.
UPS also said it has emergency plans in place to continue service. The statement continued: “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve.”
The last passenger flight using the MD-11 took place in 2014, and since then the model has been used exclusively as a cargo carrier.
The model of the plane that crashed was an MD-11F triple-engine plane, which was first put into service as a passenger aircraft by Thai Airways 34 years ago, but was transferred to UPS in 2006.
The MD-11 was originally manufactured by McDonnell Douglas before merging with Boeing in 1997. Production of the MD-11 aircraft ended in 2000.
