FAA Looks Into American's Inspections

The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into why American Airlines ordered mechanics to start skipping certain long-established safety inspections to detect damage to planes from suspected lightning strikes, according to internal company and agency documents.

The airline's decision reflects the wide latitude the AMR Corp. unit and other large air carriers typically have in adjusting safety standards without prior approvals from federal regulators. In this instance, American made the procedural changes and revised its maintenance manual in an effort to prevent planes from being pulled out of service, causing flight delays or cancellations that can be especially disruptive during the ...