NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : FAA Orders Check of DC-9 Rear Exits

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered immediate inspection of tail cone exits on DC-9 planes. The FAA is working with McDonnell Douglas Corp., the DC-9 manufacturer, to redesign the release handle that separates the 75-pound fiberglass tail cone from the aircraft and drops an emergency evacuation slide. The order affects 430 U.S. planes, most operated by Northwest, USAir, American, Continental, Delta and TWA. The action is in response to concerns that two lives may have been lost because of a jammed emergency rear exit on a burning jetliner at Detroit last month.