FedEx is the other major MD-11 operator.
Boeing, which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, said in a statement on its website that it “recommended to the three operators of the MD-11 Freighter that they suspend flight operations while additional engineering analysis is performed”.
The only other MD-11 operator is Western Global Airlines, which was listed as having two in service.
‘Repeating bell’ heard in cockpit
On Saturday, it was reported that a repeated bell sound was heard in the cockpit for 25 seconds as pilots attempted to control the plane after it took off from Louisville, bound for Honolulu.
The cockpit voice recorder captured a persistent bell that began about 37 seconds after the crew called for take-off thrust, and the bell continued until the recording ended, which investigators believe was the final point of impact, US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Todd Inman said.
Inman told reporters that there could be different types of alarms with varying meanings, but investigators know that a fire occurred in the plane’s left wing and will use flight data to help determine a clearer picture of what happened.
The NTSB released drone footage showing the devastation on the ground caused by the burning plane crashing through a swath of industrial buildings, including a petroleum recycling facility.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, said the bell probably signalled an engine fire and “occurred at a point in the take-off where they were likely past their decision speed to abort”.
“They were likely past their critical decision speed to remain on the runway and stop safely … They’ll need to thoroughly investigate the options the crew may or may not have had, Guzzetti told the Associated Press after Inman’s news conference.
Investigations into the crash are ongoing, but the full transcript of the cockpit voice recorder will not be available for months.Credit: AP
The three pilots have been named by UPS as Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond.
On Saturday AEDT, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said on social media that the total death toll had now risen to 14, including 11 people on the ground.
The 34-year-old plane reportedly had more than 143,000 litres of fuel onboard when it crashed. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told reporters it barely missed a restaurant, a convention centre and a large Ford plant.
Inman said it would be months before a transcript of the cockpit recording is made public as part of that investigation process.
Investigators trawl video for clues
Dramatic video capturing the crash from phones, dashcams and CCTV has provided investigators with visual evidence of what happened from numerous angles.
The NTSB clarified on Friday that preliminary data on the aircraft’s altitude indicated it got about 30 metres above the ground, not 144 metres. It reached a speed of 340 km/h before crashing just outside the Louisville airport, Inman said.
The engine’s main component and pieces of the engine fan blades were recovered from the airfield.
Inman said UPS indicated no maintenance work was performed before the flight “that would delay it in any way”. He noted that investigators would review the video to determine what, if anything, had been done around the aircraft in the preceding days.
The UPS package handling facility in Louisville is the company’s largest. The hub employs more than 20,000 people in the region, handles 300 flights daily and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.
Lawsuit alleges negligence
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Litigation over the crash has already begun. A federal lawsuit was filed on Thursday against UPS by an automotive repair company that was destroyed in the crash, and a resident who was treated at a hospital after breathing in smoke.
The aircraft and engine manufacturers of the plane were also named in the lawsuit, which alleges the defendants “negligently breached their duty of reasonable care and prevented unreasonable harm”. It seeks unspecified damages.
The companies named as defendants didn’t immediately return emails seeking comment on Friday.
AP
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