Boeing Fuel Tanks to Be Inspected

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered immediate inspection of the center fuel tanks of Boeing 747 jetliners after receiving reports of worn fuel line parts that could result in fire or explosion. The airworthiness directive affects about 300 planes registered in the United States. U.S. operators affected by the order include Continental Airlines, FedEx, Northwest Airlines, TWA, United Airlines and United Parcel Service. The hazard is that sparks could be created when worn metal components collide inside the fuel-intake lines for two devices called override-jettison pumps. The pumps feed fuel to a 747’s four engines or, in an emergency, send fuel overboard. Although the action is one of a series of directives resulting from the investigation of the 1996 explosion of TWA Flight 800 off New York’s Long Island, parts similar to those involved in the directive were recovered after the Flight 800 crash and were not found to be worn, the FAA said.