Missed Inspections Force Southwest To Ground Planes
DENVER (CBS4) - Southwest Airlines has grounded 128 planes after their backup hydraulic systems -- used to control the rudder if the main system fails, missed inspection -- according to CBS News.
Spokesperson Brandy King said the airline canceled about 80 flights on Tuesday and expected to cancel 19 more on Wednesday while the inspections are completed. The groundings make up about one-fifth of its fleet.
King said the missed inspections were unintended, and as soon as the lapse was discovered Southwest notified federal safety regulators and took the planes out of service to check them.
The Federal Aviation Administration agreed to allow Southwest to continue flying the planes while inspections are done in overnight hours, according to CBS Dallas. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson confirmed that they approved the plan after talking with Southwest and Boeing, the manufacturer.
The missed inspections were first reported on by the Wall Street Journal early Wednesday morning.
Denver International Airport has not yet reported any groundings.