Image via WikipediaMY NOTE: I GOT THE IDEA FOR THIS POST FROM MY FRIEND CSCOKID, ON THE IV BOARD. AT THE END OF THIS NEWS REPORT ABOUT THE SOUTHWEST AIRPLANE FATIGUE, THE NTSB IS REPORTING THERE IS "no existing criteria to perform inspections for this type of failure,". WELL HOW ABOUT FOLLOWING THE LEAD OF NASA, IN THE INSPECTION OF THE FUEL TANKS, AND TILES ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE, AND USE THz?
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-southwest-20110404,0,6492817.story
The National Transportation Safety Board will consider whether to upgrade inspection criteria on Southwest AirlinesBoeing 737-300s and other aircraft after finding evidence offatigue fractures in the torn section of a Sacramento-bound plane that depressurized and made an emergency landing, authorities said Sunday.
Flight 812 was about 18 minutes into its flight out of Phoenix on Friday when a small section of the fuselage skin burst open, terrifying the 118 passengers, who had to scramble for oxygen masks after the cabin lost pressure. The plane landed safely at a military base in Yuma, Ariz.
Investigators revealed Sunday that tiny cracks were found around rivet holes along a joint where two areas of the fuselage skin overlap, and they are trying to determine how long the cracks had been there. An inspection found "persistent fatigue along the entire fracture surface," said safety board member Robert Sumwalt.
Photos: Hole opens up during Southwest flight
The cracks would not be immediately apparent from a visual inspection, a fact that prompted air safety officials to question whether new inspection criteria may be needed for the 737s and other aircraft.
There are "no existing criteria to perform inspections for this type of failure," said Sumwalt, who was in Yuma with a team that included investigators from the NTSB, Federal Aviation Administration and the Boeing Co.
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