FedEx MD-11 N621FE operating as FDX9045 has taken to the skies for a test flight — marking the first flight by an MD-11 since the global grounding of the type following the UPS MD-11 crash last November.
Boeing has developed a maintenance and inspection plan, plus the replacement of a ‘small piece of hardware’, which is hoped to be the solution to returning these aircraft to the sky. This will hinge on the bearing, which was an important factor in the UPS MD-11 crash.
In the investigation, fatigue cracks in the left pylon of the widebody aircraft were revealed, and the left pylon aft mount lug and spherical bearing were under distress. This solution from Boeing involves new bearings in the aft mount of each side pylon while inspecting the aft bulkhead.
Boeing’s proposed solution will face regulatory approval, while FedEx has already suggested its maintenance team will be the ones to install new bearings on the aft mounts of each side pylon. Once repairs are complete, each plane will undergo test flights before returning to scheduled services.
The investigation into the deadly UPS crash is still ongoing with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which said in a preliminary report that fractures of the pylon hardware, including fatigue cracks and overstress failures on the aft mount lug. Boeing had proactively warned the MD-11 operators of this from four failures of the same piece in 2011; however, at that time, the failures did not pose a safety risk.
For the FAA, the instruction of grounding the MD-11 and DC-10 fleet will now require a sign-off and inspection before they will permit the planes to fly again. FedEx is ready to follow all instruction with the airline, noting it has already had its safety, engineering, and maintenance teams conducting safety inspections and planning to prepare for an imminent return to service:
“Safety is our highest priority. Over the past several months, our airline safety, engineering and maintenance teams have conducted rigorous safety inspections, maintenance and planning to prepare our MD-11 fleet to return to service.”
Following the crash shortly after takeoff on November 4, 2025, from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), placed an uncertain future for the MD-11 and DC-10, with the two largest operators, FedEx and UPS, forced to ground these planes immediately. Both carriers were already considering the retirement of these older aircraft within the next decade, as they opt for more fuel-efficient and newer airplanes.
UPS accelerated these plans with an announcement that in January it would retire all of its MD-11. Western Global, which also operates the MD-11, has not shared any plans on what its intentions are. However, for FedEx, it has continued to maintain the MD-11, with its 28 set to return to service once regulatory approval is passed.
FedEx has noted that its maintenance teams will work through all requirements and necessary repairs as required, and, depending on the final FAA approval, will then support the cargo carriers’ official return date of these planes to service. While there remain several unknowns of what will come next for this aircraft, FedEx remains committed, and this should lead to these iconic airplanes taking to the skies once more.