Members of the Kentucky National Guard's 41st Civil Support Team survey the site of a fatal airplane crash in Louisville on Wednesday. (Phil Speck /AP)
UPS and FedEx have grounded dozens of MD-11 aircraft on the recommendation of the manufacturer Boeing, days after one of the UPS cargo planes crashed in Louisville, killing at least 14 and sparking a large fireball as it hit two businesses.
Boeing said in a statement early Saturday it had recommended to "operators of the MD-11 Freighter that they suspend flight operations while additional engineering analysis is performed."
FedEx, which has 28 MD-11s in operation, said Saturday it had made the decision "out of an abundance of caution" while it conducted a safety review, while UPS said in a statement Friday it had grounded its fleet "effective immediately." Both carriers said they took the decision in the interest of safety and had contingency plans in place to minimize disruptions.
UPS operated 27 MD-11s, according to a company fact sheet dated Sept. 30; the company said in a statement Friday that the model makes up around 9 percent of its fleet.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of Tuesday's deadly crash; Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg (D) confirmed in a social media post Friday that the death toll had risen to 14.
Footage showed the aircraft, which was laden with large amounts of fuel for its planned journey to Hawaii, ablaze and flying at a low altitude shortly before crashing at about 5:14 p.m. on Tuesday.
National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said Wednesday that a video showed the left engine detaching from the wing as UPS Flight 2976 took off.
The plane narrowly missed a restaurant and struck an auto parts lot and a petroleum recycling center, according to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D).