Aviation regulators set to step up inspections of Boeing 757s after in-flight incident

Aviation regulators set to step up inspections of Boeing 757s after in-flight incident

2010-12-11 04:32:01 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- Aviation regulators will order tougher inspections of hundreds of Boeing 757 planes worldwide, after a recent in-flight incident that left a hole in the fuselage of an American Airlines plane, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

According to the newspaper, the Federal Aviation Administration has drafted enhanced inspection mandates after a in-flight incident that occurred on October 26 when an American plane was cruising at 31,000 feet en route from Miami to Boston.

A Boeing spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal that the company has already issued a bulletin urging carriers to inspect the upper forward skin on certain 757s to detect potential cracks.

The American jet, a Boeing 757-200, made an emergency landing at Miami International Airport after experiencing a rapid decompression, not long after the aircraft had departed Miami en route to Boston.

AA flight 1640 was carrying 154 passengers and 6 crew. The crew donned their oxygen masks and initiated an emergency descent as the passenger oxygen masks were deployed.

A post flight inspection revealed a hole of about 1 foot by 2 feet (33 by 66cm) just above the "A" of the American Airlines Logo.

According to the Journal, the same month cracks were found in the fuselage of a United Airlines Boeing 757. Another American 757 was undergoing repairs in Los Angeles this week due to fuselage cracks.

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