Plane Heater Exams Ordered

Concerned about a potential fire hazard, the federal government Wednesday ordered the operators of DC-9/MD-88 series and MD-90-30 series aircraft to inspect certain fuselage wiring for possible damage and replace it, if necessary.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued an airworthiness directive requiring carriers to inspect static port heater wires for chafing, loose connections and any evidence of electrical arcing, and make any necessary repairs.

The FAA also wants any metalized Mylar-covered insulating blankets around the heaters to be removed. Those blankets can be replaced with another type of material.

The action follows a recommendation earlier this year from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Those components are mounted against sensing ports inside the fuselage and keep ice from accumulating and interfering with the plane’s airspeed and air pressure indicators.

The FAA action was in response to a cargo compartment fire aboard a Delta Air Lines MD-88 in September 1999 that broke out shortly after takeoff from Northern Kentucky International Airport in Covington, Ky.

The plane returned to the airport and no injuries occurred.