the torn section of fuselodge is now back in washington for analysis at an ntsb laboratory. we have to identify the origins and extent of this cracking. and what similarity this aircraft design might have to others. reporter: the federal aviation administration has ordered emergency inspections of 175 planes worldwide, all older boeing 737 models with more than 30,000 takeoffs and landings. inspections must be repeated at frequent intervals. boeing says eventually 570 planes with the same design will need a closer look. the company had anticipated that the skin and joints on one of these planes would not need special scrutiny until it reached 60,000 takeoffs and landings. but the plane that was damaged friday had only 39,000. and now southwest s inspections have discovered five others in its fleet with subsurface cracks. an aviation expert explains
the plane that cracked open in mid flight last fright had undergone a major maintenance inspection in march of last year. investigators believe the problem began with a crack in the lap joint in a part of the fuselage where only visual inspections are required. these cracks are developing on the underside of the lap joint, which you cannot see with the naked eye. you need a more comprehensive method of determining these cracks that s what ultrasound or x-ray can find that the naked eye can t see. let s look at today s federal directive ordering emergency inspections of these older boeing planes. it covers 737s in the 300, 400 and 500 series that accumulated more than 30 flight cycles. there will also be repetitive inspections at regular
and plus, the creators of south park take their act to broadway. trey parker and matt stone talk about their smash hit, the book of mormon. not something you want to take your kids to. it s pretty saucy, and getting a lot of positive reviews. first, the update on the faa. they want emergency inspections on 80 more boeing 737s like the one that had a piece of fuselage peel off midair last week. meanwhile southwest airlines has almost completed inspections of its fleet of 737s, all but three are back in service. abc s larry jacobs has more. reporter: fatigue cracks caused this gaping hole of a southwest airlines jet. the section will undergo a detailed analysis in washington. the ntsb concluded its on-scene investigation in arizona where a boeing 737 made a safe emergency landing on friday. all required aircraft inspections were up to date and no discrepancies were found.
sending passengers scrambling for oxygen masks and pilots diving for a lower altitude. it was crazy. it was frightening. sounded like an explosion. reporter: terrifying moments on a jet that had all the required inspections, but still, fell apart. the government will be watching these emergency inspections very carefully. how they turn out could impact inspection requirements for every older plane in the fleet. lisa stark, abc news, baltimore-washington international airport. and now the faa is investigating another aborted flight. this one a united airlines airbus that had just taken off from new orleans. the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit and then said his instruments had stopped working. the plane made an emergency landing back in new orleans and the passengers evacuated using those inflatable slides, luckily only minor injuries were reported. and five suspects in the 9/11 attack also now face a trial before a military commission instead of a civilian courtroom in
this just in, the french government minister says an underwater team has found bodies of the victims of the wreckage of air france flight 447 yesterday. you will remember the air france jet took off from brazil and disappeared into the atlantic ocean during a storm two years ago. all of the 228 passengers were killed. we just heard that the woods haul oceanographic institute had found wreckage of the plane. now we have learned there were bodies found in that wreckage as well. we ll keep you up to date with that story as we get more on it. southwest airlines canceling another 100 flights today while they complete emergency inspections on dozens of their 737 300 jets. look at that hole in the top of the plane. so far, they found small, but