FAA orders inspections of newer 737 airliners

washington -- U.S. regulators ordered inspections of the wing slats on all newer Boeing 737 jetliners based on findings about the fire that destroyed a 737-800 last week on Okinawa.

The order applies to 783 jetliners operated by U.S. airlines but probably will be imposed by other countries on the entire worldwide fleet of 2,287 newer 737s, said Les Dorr, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Slats, which extend out from the front of the wings, and flaps, which extend out from the wings’ trailing edges, are deployed by pilots during takeoffs and landings to increase an aircraft’s lift and stability.

Investigators in Naha, Okinawa, found that a bolt from a slat on the right wing had pierced the fuel tank of a China Airlines 737 that caught fire after landing on the Japanese island. All 165 people aboard were able to evacuate the plane moments before it exploded.

The FAA ordered a detailed inspection within 24 days to be sure that the downstop assembly, which limits how far the slats can emerge from the wing, is installed properly and repaired if needed. It also ordered that the nut and bolt that hold the assembly in place be tightened to specifications.

The FAA’s emergency airworthiness directive, issued Saturday, applies to all 737-600, -700, -800, -900 and -900ER series planes, the first of which entered service in January 1998.