The
revelation comes amid a desperate search for traces of the plane with 239
people on board, which lost contact with air traffic control at around 1730 GMT
on Friday, about an hour after take-off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing.
"We
are issuing this AD (Airworthiness Directive) to detect and correct cracking
and corrosion in the fuselage skin, which could lead to rapid decompression and
loss of structural integrity of the airplane," the Federal Aviation
Administration said.
During
a sudden drop in cabin pressure, the crew and passengers can become
unconscious, leaving no one at the controls of the affected aircraft.
In
1999, a Learjet carrying golfer Payne Stewart crashed into a field in the US
state of South Dakota after flying uncontrolled for several hours after those
on board apparently became unconscious due to a lack of oxygen brought on by a
loss of cabin pressure.
Malaysia's
air force chief has raised the possibility that MH370 inexplicably turned back
and was quoted as saying the jet had been tracked hundreds of miles from its
intended flight path.
The
FAA circulated a draft of the directive warning of the cracking and corrosion
problem on September 26, 2013.
A
final directive was issued March 5, three days before the Malaysia Airlines jet
disappeared. The FAA directive is to take effect April 9.
The
FAA said it was "prompted by a report of cracking in the fuselage skin
underneath the satellite communication (SATCOM) antenna adapter."
"This
AD requires repetitive inspections of the visible fuselage skin and doubler if
installed, for cracking, corrosion, and any indication of contact of a certain
fastener to a bonding jumper, and repair if necessary," it added.
The
FAA said an estimated 120 US registered aircraft are affected by the directive.
A
supporting document accompanying the directive indicates that one unidentified
operator reported a "16-inch crack" (940.6 centimeter) of the
fuselage skin in an aircraft that was 14 years old.
Boeing
performed a "metallurgical fracture analysis" of the affected section
of the fuselage skin, according to the document.
As
the hunt for the missing plane dragged into its fifth day, Malaysian
authorities said they were expanding their search zone off Vietnam's South
China Sea coast to the Andaman Sea north of Indonesia, hundreds of kilometers
(miles) away.
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