The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has expanded its previously announced grounding order for the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 to include the DC-10 family as well. The decision was made due to the two aircraft sharing a similar engine-pylon design in which potential structural risks have been identified. The immediate trigger for the directive was the investigation launched after a UPS MD-11F accident in Louisville on November 5.
The original emergency directive, AD 2025-23-51, applied only to the MD-11 and MD-11F. In its updated form, it now also covers several variants of the DC-10. While the DC-10 is no longer used in scheduled passenger service in the United States, the aircraft remains active in specialized missions. It continues to operate in aerial firefighting with the 10 Tanker fleet, in aerial refueling with Omega Air, and as Orbis’s flying eye hospital. A small number of DC-10s also remain in service with foreign cargo carriers.
As the investigation into the UPS MD-11F’s engine separation continues, the FAA has ordered that all flights involving MD-11 and DC-10 aircraft remain grounded until further notice. The move represents the most extensive DC-10-related grounding since the Chicago crash in 1979.
