NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON STATE : Search for Cracks in 747s Expanded

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued an emergency directive telling airlines to expand their search for possible cracks in aging 747 jumbo jets made by Seattle-based Boeing. The new airworthiness directive affects 123 planes worldwide and 59 in the United States, the FAA said. Only U.S. carriers are required to follow FAA directives. The directive will expand by about six times the area of the cockpit section of the jets where operators were required to look for cracks under a previous order. An FAA spokesman said cracking had been found in at least one 747. The cracks were between a tenth-inch and a quarter-inch in length. Small cracks could cause rapid decompression in an airplane if they were allowed to grow undetected.