United Airlines faces $435K FAA fine

June 1 (UPI) -- United Airlines faces a $435,000 civil penalty after the Federal Aviation Administration determined the airline flew a potentially unsafe plane.

An FAA statement on Tuesday said United personnel replaced a fuel pump pressure switch on a Boeing 787 in 2014 after a flight crew documented a potential problem. The plane was then flown on 23 flights, domestic and international, before a required inspection of the work was undertaken. Two of those flights allegedly took place after the FAA notified United that the inspections had not occurred.

"The FAA alleges the aircraft was not airworthy during all 23 of the flights," the statement said in part. It added that United has requested a meeting to review the case and the fine.

The proposed fine is the latest of several controversies involving United. On April 9, a passenger was dragged from an overbooked United flight, and cellphone video of the incident caused public outrage and a public-relations crisis for the airline. A month later, a celebrated giant rabbit was found dead in a United plane after it traveled from Britain to Chicago.