An AP report says that airport workers in Japan have found found a fractured fuselage on a China Airlines Boeing 737-800 weeks after a similar plane exploded at another Japanese airport, an official said Friday.
China Airlines maintenance workers discovered the hairline crack near the tail of the jet Thursday afternoon at Saga Airport on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, Transport Ministry official Rui Mitsuma said. Japanese aviation officials launched an investigation, Mitsuma said.
On Aug. 20, a China Airlines 737-800 that landed at Okinawa’s Naha airport exploded at a gate seconds after all 157 passengers and the eight-member crew safely evacuated. A bolt on the right wing slat came loose and pierced a fuel tank, causing fuel to gush out and catch fire.
Report by The Mole and AP
