Stressful skies hang over the U.S. this weekend due to disruptions linked to the ongoing government shutdown and an investigation of the UPS crash in Kentucky this week that killed at least 14 people.
An Emergency Airworthiness Directive was issued Saturday by the Federal Aviation Administration to owners and operators of Boeing Company Model MD-11 and MD-11F airplanes prohibiting further aircraft flight. It said that the Emergency AD was prompted by “an accident where the left-hand engine and pylon detached from the airplane during takeoff.”
UPS Flight 2976, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft headed to Honolulu, crashed following takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali Airport in Kentucky Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating, per the FAA.
CNN reported that 14 people have died as a result of the crash as of Saturday.
It said the plane carved a “trail of fire that consumed businesses and forced panicked victims to jump from the windows to escape the inferno,” as it fell from the sky.
UPS announced late Friday night that it had temporarily grounded its MD-11 fleet, around 9% of its total fleet, “out of an abundance of caution.”
“We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer,” said UPS. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve.”
It added that it has contingency plans in place to make sure packages are delivered. Audacy reported last week that UPS cut 50,000 jobs ahead of the holidays.
CEO Carol Tomé of UPS said in a statement that: “We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of our colleagues, and to the loved ones of those in the Louisville community.”
Two days after the tragic crash, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced “proactive actions” they said were necessary due to the ongoing government shutdown. This shutdown has suspended pay for air traffic controllers, leading to people in the already high-stress field to take on second jobs. It’s also come with an uptick in flight delays.
“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” said Bedford. “The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe.”
The protective actions Duffy and Bedford announced included a 10% reduction in flights at 40 high traffic airports across the country by Nov. 14, starting at 4% Friday and increasing slightly every day thorough next week. They also called for a prohibition on some visual flight rule approaches (VFR) at facilities with staffing triggers, that commercial space launches and reentries only be permitted between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time and that parachute operations and photo missions near facilities with a staffing trigger be prohibited.
“These actions were directly informed by the FAA’s review of aviation safety data, including voluntary, confidential safety reports that pilots and air traffic controllers file,” said a statement from the Department of Transportation. The data indicates increased stress on the system, which increases risk.”
In a statement published Saturday, American Airlines said that “due to the prolonged government shutdown and nationwide air traffic control staffing shortages, we, like most airlines, are experiencing additional and widespread delays and cancellations across the country today despite the advanced cancellations that the FAA required us to make.” It urged lawmakers to come to an agreement about government spending and end the ongoing shutdown.
American Airlines also said that it had reduced its flight schedules by 4% percent at 40 airports Friday through Monday, canceling approximately 220 flights each day. Still, the airline said around 6,000 daily flights will take to the skies.
“Disrupting customers’ plans is the last thing we want to do, and we have issued a travel waiver. To provide additional flexibility during the impacted travel period, customers whose flights are canceled for any reason or who choose not to travel will be able to change their flight or request a refund without any penalty,” said the airline.
According to the Department of Transportation, airlines will be required to issue full refunds for delays and cancelations.