US aviation authorities have ordered all models of a cargo plane that crashed during takeoff in Kentucky on Tuesday to remain grounded.
It comes after a Boeing MD-11 plane operated by UPS caught fire on the runway at Louisville International Airport before crashing into neighboring businesses, killing 14 people.
The US delivery company had previously said it would not operate the planes pending an ongoing investigation, and FedEx followed suit.
Now the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a formal notice banning all MD-11 and MD11F aircraft from flying until safety checks are carried out.
In total, 70 models are used with UPS, FedEx and Western Global Airlines.
FAA officials said the Kentucky crash occurred after the plane’s left engine caught fire and detached from the wing during takeoff.
The plane 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 had already advised the three companies using the model to stop operating it out of “caution.”
It’s unclear whether the order will impact delivery services in the US, and none of the three companies have reported any disruptions so far.
Data collected by live air traffic website FlightRadar24 showed that 55 MD-11 aircraft were used over the past week.
“Contingency plans are in place to flex our integrated air and ground network to help protect critical and time-sensitive shipments, such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other life-saving products, moving through our network without interruption,” FedEx said in a statement.
UPS also said contingency plans were in place to continue its service. A statement continues: “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve.”
The last passenger flights using an MD-11 were carried out in 2014, and since then the model has been used exclusively as a cargo carrier.
The aircraft model involved in the accident was a three-engine MD-11F aircraft, which first entered service 34 years ago with Thai Airways as a passenger aircraft, but was transferred to UPS in 2006.
The MD-11s were originally manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, before the company merged with Boeing in 1997. Production of the MD-11 aircraft ended in 2000.
