FAA orders safety audit of U.S. airlines

WASHINGTON, March 19 (UPI) -- The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered safety audits of all U.S. airlines in the wake of a record fine for safety violations at Southwest Airlines.

The agency set two deadlines for its inspectors in a directive issued Tuesday, The Dallas Morning News reported. By March 28, inspectors must audit 118 airlines for compliance with 10 airworthiness directives. That will include inspecting older aircraft for fatigue cracks.

By June 30, inspectors must audit compliance with 10 percent of all airworthiness directives.

Southwest Airlines was ordered to pay $10.2 million for missing inspections for fatigue cracks. When the planes were inspected, six had cracks as long as 3.5 inches.

An FAA spokeswoman told the Morning News that inspectors will spend most of their time reviewing documentation of inspections. But she said they would spend some time physically checking out planes.