WORLD IN BRIEF : BRITAIN : Faulty Bolts Blamed for Cockpit Mishap

The use of improper bolts probably caused a cockpit windshield to blow out of a British Airways plane at 23,000 feet over the weekend, almost sucking the pilot out of the aircraft, officials said. “Investigators have determined that of the 90 bolts used to retain the windscreen, 84 were of an incorrect size for the captive nuts into which they were installed,” a Civil Aviation Authority official said. Officials reported the incorrect bolts were 1/32 of an inch smaller than they should have been. They said a worldwide alert was issued to all airlines flying the BAC 111. British Airways said it has suspended the engineer responsible for fitting the bolts pending an inquiry. Two crew members held onto the pilot’s legs to keep him from being sucked out of the plane.