Investigators looking into the reason why a Southwest Airlines plane ripped open midflight have discovered some rivet holes that were too big for their rivets.
A Boeing 737-300 had to make an emergency landing in Yuma, Arizona, on April 1 after a three foot rent in the skin of the fuselage appeared.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, which has been studying the section of the 737’s fuselage skin, some of the rivet holes were found to be just too wide.
There was also extensive wear and tear and holes were worn into irregular shapes instead of being circular.
The rivets hold the skin from different sections of the plane together.
The board said the investigation was ongoing and that it could not yet draw any conclusions for the incident.
by Dinah Hatch
