Boeing to call for B737 inspections after fuselage failure

Boeing intends to release a service bulletin recommending checks and inspections of lap joints on "certain" B737-300/400/500 aircraft (Dow Jones/Reuters, 04-Apr-2011). More than 900 are in service globally, but the bulletin will only apply to more heavily used aircraft. The decision follows the discovery of a fuselage crack on three Southwest Airlines B737-300s during inspections for metal fatigue following an 01-Apr-2011 incident when the fuselage on a Southwest B737-300 ruptured during flight.