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US proposes $13.6m fine on Boeing for tank guidance delays

WASHINGTON — The US Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, proposed to fine Boeing $13.6 million, its second-largest penalty ever, for delays in telling airlines how to prevent fuel-tank explosions on 383 aircraft.

Boeing was given a December 27, 2010, deadline to submit instructions on how to add explosion-prevention devices in its US-registered 747 jumbo jets and 757 single-aisle planes, according an e-mailed statement by the FAA.

The company missed the deadline for 747s by 301 days, and was 406 days late for 757s, according to the FAA release.

“We are committed to ensuring the safety of the flying public,” US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in the statement. “Manufacturers must provide the necessary instructions so the airlines can comply with this important safety regulation.”

The fine is the largest proposed by the FAA since it sought $24.2 million from AMR’s American Airlines in 2010 for maintenance lapses that grounded its fleet of Boeing MD-80s in 2008. Firms typically negotiate lower payments with the FAA.

The agency’s action stems from a regulation that requires airlines to install devices that blanket centre fuel tanks with non-flammable nitrogen gas. The rule resulted from the explosion in a Trans World Airlines 747 off New York on July 17, 1996, that killed all 230 aboard.

Airbus complies

The US National Transportation Safety Board ruled that a spark triggered an explosion in the tank, tearing the jetliner apart. Tanks located in the fuselage between the wings are heated by nearby equipment and are explosive for a majority of time on flights, the safety board found.

Boeing is reviewing the FAA’s action and will respond to the agency, according to a statement e-mailed by Miles Kotay, a spokesman for the company.

The aircraft models in the FAA action are no longer in production, according to the Boeing statement.