U.S. Reports Manufacturing Flaw in Ruptured Jet

[marmar]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Investigators say they found rivet holes that were too big and appear to be misshapen from wear in a Southwest Airlines jet that peeled open in flight earlier this month.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that ’its examination of a section of the Boeing 737’s fuselage skin adjacent to where a five-foot hole tore open revealed rivet holes that were too wide for the rivets. The rivets hold overlapping sections of the plane’s skin together.

The board also said in a statement that some rivet hole were worn into irregular shapes instead of being round.

The board didn’t offer any conclusions based on the evidence. Its investigation is continuing. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/business/26air.html?_r=1&hp

[jmowreader]

1. Irregular shapes aren't a manufacturing error

They're normal wear and tear.

If there are any A&P mechanics here, please answer this: when you do a teardown inspection on an aircraft, do you drill all the rivets out?