Cracks found in QF Boeing fleet

Damage that grounded two Qantas jumbo jets has prompted an urgent worldwide examination of Boeing aircraft that has so far uncovered similar problems in more than 40 planes.
Experts fear the problem, in which damage caused by metal tools during aircraft repainting can lead to fatigue cracks, may be more widespread than first thought. Qantas grounded the Boeing 747s last year after engineers discovered a potentially devastating 70cm crack in in one aircraft’s fuselage during maintenance.
The crack was in a strap used to knit sections of the fuselage together during manufacturing and could have led to a serious structural failure if left unrepaired. Marks on the damaged plane indicated the crack had grown from damage caused by the use of metal tools during repainting by previous owner Malaysia Airlines.
A report on the damage by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority prompted the US Federal Aviation Administration to issue a global alert.
CASA said similar metal tool marks – known as scribe lines – had now been found worldwide on 32 Boeing 737s, four 747s and and seven 757s.
CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said he could not rule out an FAA airworthiness directive that would make aircraft inspections and urgent repairs mandatory.