FedEx has begun a series of MD-11 test flights as the global delivery provider prepares for the aircraft’s operational return following a fatal UPS crash in Louisville, US, in 2025.
According to Flightradar24, a FedEx McDonnell Douglas MD-11F, registered N621FE, has undertaken two flights so far with a partial fleet return to service expected by the end of May 2026.
The first test flight saw the MD-11 leave Memphis International Airport (MEM) on May 9, 2026, and return around an hour and 15 minutes later.
A second flight departed Memphis on May 10, 2025, and flew to Miami International Airport (MIA). The flight lasted just under two hours.
Another FedEx MD-11, registered N521FE, also completed two flights on May 10, 2026. In the first the MD-11 took off from Memphis and returned an hour later while the second saw the jet fly to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The first MD-11 flight since the grounding of the aircraft type following the November 2025 crash of a UPS MD-11. https://t.co/I9FOql7zXx pic.twitter.com/xAktM50j0E
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) May 10, 2026
FedEx has been working with Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to return the MD-11 to service.
UPS retired the aircraft type following the Louisville crash which resulted in the deaths of three crew members and 12 people on the ground.
Boeing has provided FedEx with a design fix that should allow all its 29 MD-11s to begin operations again, subject to FAA approval.
🚨 HISTORY IN THE MAKING: The legendary FedEx MD-11 is BACK in the sky! 🛫
After months grounded, N621FE just completed the first test flight out of MEM — the trijet legend returns!
FedEx refusing to let the MD-11 die. Absolute unit. The King of Cargo is rising again. 🔥#MD11… pic.twitter.com/5mk9hHuKUU— FlyMarshall (@flymarshall_) May 10, 2026
The UPS MD-11 crashed after departing Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) on November 4, 2025. The aircraft, which was traveling to Honolulu, impacted the ground shortly after takeoff.
What the NTSB have said so far in its investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has previously said that investigators found a cracked component on the UPS aircraft involved in the crash.
The NTSB said examination of the wreckage confirmed that the aircraft’s left engine and its pylon separated from the wing moments after takeoff.
Investigators determined that the separation occurred at the engine-to-wing attachment point, a critical structural area designed to support engine loads during all phases of flight.
The agency’s materials laboratory identified fatigue cracking in components associated with the left engine pylon attachment.
Investigators found cracking that had developed over time, along with evidence of additional damage consistent with the structure failing under load once the final separation occurred.
The NTSB will hold a two-day investigative hearing between May 19 and 20, 2026, as part of its ongoing investigation
