FAA proposes inspections of Boeing 767 freighters, UPS grounds 24

The FAA issued a proposal on Tuesday for mandatory inspections of cargo tracks on Boeing 767-300 freighters. The proposal states that some titanium cargo track crown fittings were made with unapproved materials and could be subject to failure. This was discovered when the FAA received a report of a supplier notice of escapement with suspect material certifications. The administration proposed an airworthiness directive (AD) that would require either a material inspection or that all crown fittings be replaced with new ones. The use of unapproved materials could potentially lead to fatigue cracking or sudden failure during takeoff and landing, according to Aviation News. If the fitting breaks, the cargo would move uncontrollably during flight and damage critical systems in the cargo compartment. More importantly, the shifting weight would negatively affect the ability to control the aircraft. The AD would apply to 43 US-registered 767-300Fs, according to FlightGlobal. The agency is accepting public comments through April 3. RELATED STORIES: Boeing retires final 787 Dreamliner test aircraft after 16 years Boeing must do more before regaining certification responsibility UPS retires MD-11 fleet months after Louisville crash, reports Q4 earnings It is unknown if this is related to UPS temporarily grounding 24 of its Boeing 767 aircraft. The company states that the aircraft were proactively grounded to address maintenance requirements before returning them to service, but did not state what the requirements are or how long the aircraft will be out of service, according to Air Data News. The 767 has become the main workhorse of UPS since it retired its remaining McDonnell Douglas MD-11F freighters following the crash in Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 4, 2025, that killed 15 people. The company claims to have contingency plans in place so the maintenance does not have any impact on deliveries."During a routine review, UPS identified maintenance work that needed to be completed on 24 aircraft," said Michelle Polk, UPS Director of Global Communications, according to WHAS11. "We proactively removed those aircraft from service to complete that work before returning them to operation."