FAA Sets up Alerts for Missed Inspections

The Federal Aviation Administration is going to begin alerting its top headquarters officials when field inspectors miss airline safety inspections. Mary Peters, Transportation Secretary demanded the the FAA and American Airlines explain to her within 14 days why 250,000 U.S. air travelers endured canceled flights last week. American grounded its MD-80 jetliners and canceled 3,100 flights in order to inspect or redo wiring that was supposed to have been completed between Sept. 5, 2006 and March 5, 2008.