WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is yet to require the installation of a device that could reduce the likelihood of a fuel-tank explosion on jetliners.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey some 17 months ago said that not to place a tube filled with inert gases and reduces flammable vapors on planes would be "irresponsible." An explosion in a fuel tank was blamed for the crash of TWA Flight 800 in 1996, a blast that killed 230 people.
The National Transportation Safety Board told The Washington Post the devices are on its "most wanted" safety list, but doesn't have the authority to force the FAA into action.
But airlines asked the FAA to delay ordering the installation of the devices, which cost from $140,000 to $220,000 per plane, The Washington Post reported Thursday. The airlines said the devices may not be necessary because of new aircraft design.
An NTSB official said the FAA has not given reasons why it hasn't ordered the devices put on planes currently in use but said it was "frustrating" since fuel-tank flammability was at the same stage it was at the time of the Flight 800 crash.
