Cracks Found in More Southwest Airlines Jets

By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 4, 2011 1:16PM

The National Transportation Safety Bureau has found subsurface tears in three more Southwest Airlines planes similar to the one that ripped a hole in the fuselage of a Boeing 737 in flight and forced an emergency landing last week. Since then, Southwest has canceled over 300 flights across the country and pulled the remaining 79 of its 737s from its fleet.

Weakening plane metals isn't the only mechanical problem facing Southwest. Another flight had to be diverted because of what is being called a "burning electrical smell." Southwest is hoping the NTSB will complete its inspections of the 737s by tomorrow and released a statement saying the planes found with weakened panels in the fuselage won't be returned to the fleet until repairs are completed. Players in the stock market can expect to see some heavy action around Southwest stock as this is the first full day of trading since Friday's grounding.

If you're flying Southwest out of Midway today (which is Southwest's Chicago hub), call or check online to see if your flight is delayed.