The Nation - News from Aug. 18, 1989

Cracks in a DC-10 engine part have been found that could cause it to fail like the one on the jet that crashed in Iowa on July 19 with 111 deaths, a government board said. The National Transportation Safety Board disclosed that United Airlines workers discovered cracks in the front fan shaft flange of a similar General Electric Co. CF6-6 engine on a DC-10 during a maintenance inspection in San Francisco. Investigators are still missing critical parts of the No. 2 engine from United Flight 232 in Iowa and have been unable to determine why the fan section came apart or whether any components actually were cracked. But Anthony Broderick, acting executive director of the Federal Aviation Administration, said that the FAA is aware of the cracks found in the San Francisco engine and rejects the assessment that the cracks could be related to the Iowa crash.