en.Wedoany.com Reported - FedEx announced an MD-11 freighter maintenance plan at an all-employee meeting in Memphis on May 7. The company will dispatch technicians to 16 locations worldwide to remove wing-mounted engine pylons from 29 grounded MD-11 freighters. These pylons will be transported to heavy maintenance facilities in Indianapolis and Memphis, Tennessee, where redesigned Boeing bearings will be installed.
On November 4, 2025, a UPS MD-11 crashed during takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky, when the engine and pylon separated from the wing, resulting in 14 fatalities. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigation focused on fatigue cracks in the pylon bulkhead aft lug nut. The Federal Aviation Administration subsequently imposed a six-month flight ban on the MD-11. FedEx notified relevant authorities last week of its plan to gradually resume MD-11 commercial operations starting at the end of May, contingent on FAA approval of Boeing's corrective actions for the aircraft type.
Justin Brownlee, Senior Vice President of Planning and Flight Operations at FedEx Express, stated in the presentation: "Boeing has completed its analysis and submitted a method of compliance to the FAA for review. This method of compliance provides the necessary path to return the aircraft to an airworthy condition for safe and reliable operation." Boeing engineers modified the bearing design by removing the lubrication groove that generated additional stress and making the outer race edge thicker. Josh Canfield, Senior Vice President of Technical Operations, said that FedEx aircraft showed no significant safety issues at 24,000 cycles, but as part of the new maintenance procedure, the company will now replace the bearings every 4,000 cycles and conduct inspections, including eddy current and ultrasonic testing, every 450 cycles.
FedEx's 29 MD-11 freighters are located across 16 sites, including Singapore, Tokyo, Honolulu, and Anchorage. Maintenance personnel will perform ground engine runs locally, remove the pylons, and send them to maintenance hangars in Memphis and Indianapolis for bearing replacement. Pylon assemblies for the two aircraft scheduled to fly in May have already been sent to the maintenance hangars. Pilots are required to complete a three-day requalification training course.
Brownlee noted that the MD-11 has been gradually replaced by the Boeing 777 on many international routes but remains the backbone of long-haul domestic flights in the U.S. Contingency measures taken to offset the MD-11 capacity loss reduced FedEx's earnings by $175 million in the third quarter. The company aims to return approximately 24 aircraft to normal operations and plans to retire the MD-11 fleet by 2032 after replacement aircraft join the fleet.
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