Boeing 737 inspections: Half of older models show wear and tear
     WASHINGTON - May 11, 1998 12:13 p.m. EDT - About half the older
 Boeing 737 planes inspected by the Federal Aviation Administration
 over the weekend have noticeable wear and tear, FAA administrator
 Jane Garvey said Monday. But there were no reports of significant
 disruptions in air travel as airlines carried out the ordered
 inspections.
     On Thursday, the FAA gave carriers up to seven days to make the
 checks but stepped up inspections over the weekend after new cases
 of extensive wear in electrical wires running through wing fuel
 tanks. The bundled wires carry high voltage power to fuel pumps
 feeding the engines. As of Monday morning, 47 aircraft had been
 inspected, and mechanics found some signs of abrasion in half of
 the bundles examined, Garvey said.
     But she assured passengers that all 737s in the air today are
 safe. "The ones we're concerned about will not fly until they've been
 inspected, until we're sure ... that they are safe," she told an
 interviewer.
     The inspections must be performed on 179 U.S. registered Boeing
 737-100 and 737-200 series planes with more than 50,000 flight hours
 before the aircraft are allowed to return to passenger service.
     The FAA also ordered inspections over the next two weeks for 737s
 with between 40,000 and 50,000 flight hours, generally the newer
 generation Boeing 737-300, -400 and -500 aircraft.
           U.S. in contact with international carriers
     The Boeing 737 is the world's most popular airliner, with 2,716
 registered worldwide and 1,088 registered in the United States. The
 FAA says there are 357 737s abroad that fall into categories covered
 by FAA orders.
     While the FAA can not enforce inspections on non-U.S. registered
 737s, Garvey told CNN the agency is confident other governments will
 address the safety issue and get their fleets inspected for possible
 wiring problems in the popular aircraft.
     "At four o'clock Sunday morning, we were communicating with our
 counterparts in Europe. We let them know about the concerns that we
 have. And we're very confident and comfortable that they will be
 taking some actions as well," Garvey said in a live interview.
                 No major disruptions reported
     United Airlines, which canceled 54 flights Sunday to make the
 emergency inspections, said it expected to have all of its 18
 affected aircraft operating on Monday.
     Southwest Airlines, which has 35 such airplanes in its all-737
 fleet, had mechanics work in teams of three over the weekend to
 finish the inspections.
     Continental Airlines, which had 18 planes affected, said Sunday
 that five of them had been inspected with no timetable set for
 checking the remaining 13. The airline, which brought in substitute
 aircraft, said it expected few cancellations on Monday.
     Other major airlines have few or no 737s in their fleets.
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