American Airlines examining jets for loose seats

PanARMENIAN.Net - The federal government is examining two separate incidents in which passenger seats came loose midflight on American Airlines planes in the last three days, The Associated Press reported.

American said Monday, Oct 1, that it would inspect those and six other Boeing 757 jets overnight.

The Federal Aviation Administration said both planes had recently undergone maintenance work that required seats to be removed and reinstalled. American spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said an initial review found that there could be a problem with the way the seats fit into tracks on the floor.

Boeing Co. declined to comment other than to say it had nothing to do with the recent maintenance work involving seats.

On Saturday, a flight from Boston to Miami made an emergency landing in New York after three passenger seats came loose shortly after takeoff. The airline said there were no injuries, and passengers were put on another plane to Miami.

On Monday, an American flight from New York to Miami returned to John F. Kennedy International Airport after loose seats were discovered.

The incidents involved separate repair facilities and groups of American Airlines and contract workers, Huguely said. American flew engineers, crew chiefs and inspectors from its maintenance base in Tulsa, Okla., to New York to examine the planes, she said.

American had 124 Boeing 757s as of December. The eight being inspected use a similar seat assembly, officials said.