American finds fuselage scratches on some 737-800s

During recent routine inspection, American Airlines found that a dozen planes with tiny scratches on the aluminium skin that could have been caused by airport jet-bridges by passengers to access the aircraft.

The planes cannot re-enter service until the repairs are made as they are small, they are deeper than the manufacturer’s guidelines, according to American.

The area where the damage was detected was an area where the jet-bridge meets with the fuselage, American spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said on Saturday.

“There’s absolutely no safety concern,” Fagan said.

Less than a dozen flights were cancelled due to the inspections.

The inspections were undertaken on three-quarters of American Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 aircraft as a precaution after scratches were found that the airline believes may have been caused by a jet-bridge at the airport.  The discovery of other aircraft with similar scratches leads American to believe that there could be a pattern.

The airline plans to inspect more 737-800s this week.  American Airlines and its’ regional affiliate, American Eagle, have approximately 890 aircraft across their fleet.

Fagan could not say exactly when American first discovered the problem or when it alerted the Federal Aviation Administration. On the last point, Fagan would say only that FAA notification was made at the “appropriate” time.

An FAA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment left Saturday at the agency’s Washington offices.

Thanks to Wall Street Journal for the above quotes.