FAA orders inspections of older model Boeing 737s
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators have ordered inspections for hundreds of older model Boeing 737 jetliners after numerous reports of fuel leaks caused by a potentially faulty bolt.
In August, a fire destroyed a China Airlines 737 when a bolt from a right wing slat pierced the jetliner’s fuel tank. All 165 people aboard evacuated unharmed just before the Boeing plane exploded on a tarmac in Okinawa, Japan.
The Federal Aviation Administration later that month ordered inspections of similar newer model 737s, but expanded the order to older models because of their design similarities, agency spokesman Les Dorr said Tuesday.
"Boeing notified us of numerous reports of fuel leaks from older models, but no fires," Dorr said.
The order affects 652 aircraft in the U.S. and more than 3,500 worldwide. U.S. carriers must get the planes inspected within 90 days of the FAA order’s effective date of April 8, Dorr said. The safety checks are to detect and fix a bolt that can fall off and puncture the aircraft’s fuel tanks payday loans in one hour.
Among the carriers affected are: Delta Air Lines Inc., Continental Airlines Inc., Southwest, UAL Corp.’s United Airlines and others.
A spokeswoman for Chicago-based Boeing said the order comes after action taken by the company and carriers "to ensure continued operational safety of the 737 fleet."
The FAA’s action is not related to a Southwest Airlines Co. investigation that showed it continuing to fly nearly 50 Boeing 737s that hadn’t been inspected for cracks in their fuselages, Dorr said. Southwest is facing a $10.2 million fine — the largest civil penalty the FAA has proposed against a carrier — the company said it will appeal.