Maintenance firm to probe missing screws incident

Updated: 2011-11-29 17:49

By Hou Lei (chinadaily.com.cn)

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Maintenance firm to probe missing screws incident

An Air France Airbus A340-300 [File photo]

A Chinese aircraft maintenance company said it will investigate the incident in which an Air France plane flew with missing screws after undergoing overhaul at the company, China National Radio (CNR)'s website reported Tuesday.

Mechanics in Boston found about 30 screws from an Air France plane's protective panel on the right wing were missing after it flew from Paris in mid-November.

The aircraft, an Airbus A340-300, had gone through maintenance at Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Co Ltd (TAECO) in China from Oct 4 to Nov 11.

TAECO said in a statement on Tuesday that it had received the Air France report about the incident and confirmed the plane is the one that had received maintenance at the company.

TAECO promised to investigate internally and find the cause of the incident but stressed that the Air France flight was still safe.

"Dealing with this incident influenced the normal operation of Air France flight. Air France emphasized that safety of its flight was not affected by it," according to TAECO's statement published by CNR's website.

The company said it will be in contact with Air France through its "standard procedure" to discuss the results of investigation.

The panel cencerned on the A340 plane is located between the fuselage and wing and serves to reduce drag by smoothing out edges, Bloomberg said in a report last Friday.

TAECO is based in Xiamen of China's Fujian province, and controlled by Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co, or Haeco, with a 58.55 percent stake.