FAA foreslår voldsom bot for Boeing

FAA proposes $13 million civil penalty against Boeing

By Mike M. Ahlers, CNN

July 13, 2012 -- Updated 2240 GMT (0640 HKT)

 

The July 17, 1996, explosion of a Boeing 747 off Long Island, New York, was one of the deadliest accidents in aviation history.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The FAA says Boeing has failed to meet a deadline to prevent similar crashes as TWA Flight 800
• The flight crashed in July 1996 after an explosion in the central fuel tank
• Boeing hasn't yet given airlines information on how to reduce fuel tank flammability, FAA says

Washington (CNN) -- Nearly 16 years after a fuel tank explosion destroyed TWA Flight 800, killing all 230 aboard, the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday proposed to fine Boeing Co. $13.57 million for failing to meet a deadline intended to prevent similar catastrophes.

The FAA said Boeing failed to meet a 2010 deadline to give airlines information on how to reduce fuel tank flammability, missing the deadline by 301 days for its B-747 aircraft, and by 406 days for its B-757 planes.

Because of the missed deadline, airlines have asked the FAA for extensions to make necessary fixes, the FAA said.

The FAA said it is considering extending a deadline requiring airlines to retrofit half of their aircraft by 2014, but will not extend a 2017 deadline to retrofit all impacted aircraft.

Some 383 Boeing aircraft in the United States are affected by the delays, it said.

"We take this matter very seriously," said acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. "We have issued hundreds of directives to eliminate fuel ignition sources over the past 16 years, and this step will add another layer of safety."

In a two-page letter to Boeing on Friday, the FAA proposed the fine of $13,574,400.