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Mar 12, 2008 11:56 am US/Central

Southwest Grounds 43 Jets For Safety Inspections

Several Jets Already Inspected And Back In Service

Reporting
Jack Fink

DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―

Dallas ' Southwest Airlines confirmed Wednesday it grounded more than 40 jets for safety inspections and was forced to cancel more than 100 flights.

The 120 canceled flights -- eight in and out at Dallas Love Field -- make up 4 percent of the airline's schedule and all of the aircraft are older models Boeing 737s, which are called the 737-300 series. The 737 is the only jet Southwest flies.

A Southwest spokeswoman tells CBS 11 News the affected jets are in maintenance facilities at Dallas' Love Field, Houston Hobby, Chicago Midway and Phoenix.

Southwest says a total of 44 of its jets were affected by the move. 38 were in active service, five were already in maintenance for other scheduled checks and one was already retired.

Southwest says 28 of the aircraft have been inspected, cleared, and returned to service. The airline says it expects to have all the jets inspected by Wednesday evening.

The move comes in the wake of a proposed fine by the FAA last week.

The spokeswoman said the airline decided to ground the planes after reviewing their own inspection documents and discovering some "ambiguities."

The airline says it was unsure whether it had to conduct a visual inspection or use an electronic device to search for cracks in the fuselage.

Wednesday, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly flew to Washington, D.C. and met with the FAA's acting administrator about the issue.

The move comes in the wake of a proposed fine by the FAA last week. The agency wants to fine Southwest $10.2 million for inspection violations. The proposed fine is the largest ever against an airline. Southwest has not decided whether to appeal or pay the fine.

Two local FAA inspectors, who became whistleblowers, complained in March 2007 that their FAA bosses allowed Southwest to fly 46 of its jets even after they should have been grounded for safety inspections for cracks in the fuselages, or "skin cracks." Instead, the airline kept flying for another eight days; six of those jets had cracks and were repaired, reports show.

Tuesday, the airline announced it has placed three employees on leave. It also hired an outside consultant to review its maintenance procedures.

Monday, CBS 11 News reported the FBI is investigating an alleged threat against one of the FAA whistleblowers in relation to their complaints. Click here to read that story.