| Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas) FORT WORTH, Texas -- American Airlines has been under investigation for several months by the Federal Aviation Administration for improper repairs to a handful of MD-80 airplanes. SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS The company said it has responded to the investigation that is examining fasteners used to secure bulkheads on several MD-80s. If the FAA finds that the Fort Worth-based carrier did not properly repair the bulkheads, American could face fines and penalties. "We did identify a handful of airplanes where there were some questions on the quality of repairs on the bulkheads and our folks have been looking into it", said FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford. Unlike the safety issue with Southwest Airlines last month where the carrier had used unapproved parts on dozens of Boeing 737s, the fasteners used on the American planes are FAA-approved but were not approved for use on the bulkheads. However, a report in the Wall Street Journal on Friday said the improper repairs were made on 16 airplanes and that American tried to quickly retire one of those planes to "get it out of sight of government inspectors." The WSJ article continued to outline how FAA inspectors were concerned that American had operated the affected airplanes for months, or possibly years, without making the proper repairs to the bulkheads. "We believe the Wall Street Journal's unnamed source's allegations misrepresent the facts", said American spokesman Tim Wagner. "The FAA has complete access to retired airplanes and it exercises that access frequently." Wagner added that airlines can retire individual aircraft at their discretion for economic and competitive factors.
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