Crack, Corrosion Found in 2 More of Eastern’s 727s

Eastern Airlines on Wednesday said an inspection of 46 of its older Boeing 727s found one with a 3-inch crack in the fuselage, in roughly the same spot as the tear that forced an emergency landing at Charleston, W. Va., on Monday.

The cracked plane was grounded at Logan International Airport in Boston. Later Wednesday, Eastern maintenance workers in Miami saw evidence of corrosion around rivets on another 727, Karen Ceremsak of the airline said. She said paint was being removed from that area and no other details were available.

A Federal Aviation Administration official said the airlines soon will be told to replace rivets on more than 800 of the 727s that were made by a bonding process now considered outmoded.

Darrell Pederson, an FAA assistant manager in Seattle, where Boeing is based, said the agency was “very close” to giving notice of the rule proposal, which may be followed by an airworthiness directive after allowing time for public comment.

A similar directive was issued after a 20-foot section tore loose from an Aloha Airlines 737 in April and caused the death of a flight attendant, Pederson said.

Under the earlier directive, airlines had to replace more than 7,000 rivets on at least 100 of the older Boeing 737s at a cost of about $8 million. In addition, altitude and other restrictions were imposed on the planes, pending inspection for cracks.

Eastern ordered a precautionary examination of its 727s after the emergency landing Monday morning. In that incident, a 14-inch hole opened in the rear of the plane’s roof at 31,000 feet, causing the 22-year-old craft to lose cabin pressure.