ANOTHER Southwest flight is forced to land as cracks are found in FIVE more planes after government ordered emergency checks on passenger jets



Southwest flight to Denver forced to land shortly after take off due to fault

Extent of damage to first plane revealed when hole 'exploded' through cabin

Engineers say plane wasn't old enough to be worrisome



Cracks found in FIVE more Southwest planes

Government orders emergency checks on old passenger jets



700 services cancelled since Friday

Southwest Airlines's woes show no signs of stopping as yet another flight was forced to land shortly after take off due to an unknown fault.

The flight carrying 103 passengers which was travelling from Oakland to Denver returned almost immediately after a wing slat warning light made the pilot decide it was safer to turn around.

The latest problem came at the same time the airline revealed the extent of the damage done to the Boeing 737-300 which was forced to land on Friday after a hole 'exploded' through the cabin, causing the pressure to drop radically.

Extent: Officials at the National Transportation Safety Board display the damaged piece of the Boeing 737-300 fuselage where the hole tore open 20 minutes after taking off from Phoenix

Puzzled: Engineers said they were surprised the damage occurred so early as the planes are designed to withhold for 60,000 flights which it was nowhere near to hitting

During a news conference in Washington today, officials at the National Transportation Safety Board displayed the damaged panel which tore open at 34,000 feet, 20 minutes after take off.

A company official said Boeing was surprised that the section had ripped open in flight because the plane wasn't old enough to be worrisome.



The engineers did not expect to see the cracks because they thought they had designed the joints that hold the 737-300's aluminium skin in place to be more robust.



They believe the planes would not need inspections for at least 60,000 pressurization cycles, the number of times that a plane takes off and lands.



The company hadn't even issued inspection specifications because none of the planes involved were anywhere near that old. The jet on Friday was 15 years old and had logged 39,000 cycles.

Boeing chief 737 engineer Paul Richter said: 'I would say that it's regrettable that we had to accelerate our plans to recommend inspections based on an event of this nature.'



A service bulletin from Boeing and an emergency Federal Aviation Administration order that will be issued mean inspection on 737-300s, 737-400s and 737-500s will be done starting at 30,000 cycles.



The FAA order is aimed at finding weaknesses in the metal exterior, but virtually all of the affected aircraft will have already been inspected by the time the order takes effect.



Southwest said it was making repairs on five older planes which were found with cracks to the fuselage after 79 aircrafts were grounded to carry out safety inspections.

All were Boeing 737-300s and the government are ordering safety checks to be carried out on all older Boeing 737s.

The latest plane to be affected was a different model - a Boeing 737-700.



The wing slat, which helps slow and manoeuvre the plane during takeoffs and landings, is thought to have been the cause.

Investigation: Two members of the National Transportation and Safety Board carry away part of the plane's fuselage after a tear appeared in the roof despite undergoing a maintenance check before the flight

Repercussions: As engineers continued to work on the craft (left) 79 other planes were grounded across the U.S. for investigation, with cracks being found in FIVE more planes



Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said the wing slat is out of the pilot's field of view, and that the plane could have flown to Denver with adjustments, but the pilot felt the aircraft was close enough to Oakland to return and get it checked.

He said: 'It could just be an indication light, that's all stuff they're looking into now. This is not uncommon.'



Experts say the plane wasn't old enough to be worrisome and so have changed rules on inspections

The airport did not classify the event as an emergency landing but instead as a lesser yellow warning.



The incident has not affected other flights which returned to normal today after 700 were cancelled over the weekend.

Yesterday, a Boeing 737-300 flight to San Diego carrying 142 people was diverted to Los Angeles after a burning smell filled the cabin.

These spate of problems have left the airline reeling and seems to have dented the public's confidence in the company.

The events also affected the company's share price.

On Monday, its premarket share had fallen by four per cent, though it had recovered considerably by this morning with a drop of less than one per cent.

But by the end of the day the price had fallen by more than two per cent.

The airline crisis began on Friday when the huge tear opened up at 34,000 feet 18 minutes into Flight 812 from Phoenix to Sacramento, California.



Passengers scrambled desperately for oxygen masks as the plane embarked on an emergency landing, eventually landing safely at Yuma, Arizona.

None of the 118 travellers were hurt but one flight attendant received minor injuries.



The cracking found in the subsequent inspection had been missed during routine maintenance before the flight took off.

Officials said that it was unlikely the fault, which measured 5ft long and one foot wide, would have been noticed unless mechanics had specifically looked for it but are ensuring something like that does not happen again.



AIRLINE PLAGUED BY PROBLEMS

Friday April 1 - Southwest Airlines Flight 812 made an emergency landing in Arizona 18 minutes after take off when a five-foot hole ripped through the plane. Saturday April 2 - Southwest Airlines cancel 300 flights.

Sunday April 3 - Southwest Airlines cancel further 300 flights and announce inspections on 79 aircrafts. Monday April 4 - Southwest Airlines Flight ? was forced to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles after a burning electrical smell in the cabin. Up to 175 more Southwest flights expected to be cancelled throughout the day. The airline's premarket share price down by four per cent. Tuesday April 5 - Southwest confirm cracks found in five more planes A Boeing 737-700 flight to Denver forced to land again shortly after take off due to a fault in the wing



‘What we saw with Flight 812 was a new and unknown issue,’ Mike Van de Ven, Southwest executive vice president and chief operating officer, said.



'Prior to the event regarding Flight 812, we were in compliance with the FAA-mandated and Boeing-recommended structural inspection requirements for that aircraft.’

The airline was forced to cancel 700 flights from Friday to Monday while they inspected 79 planes.

Social networking sites have been awash with concerns from future passengers of Southwest, many wondering if they should cancel their flight and use another airline and questioning the safety of Southwest's fleet.

On Twitter, Fred 27 wrote: 'Should be flying to California this weekend, looking at other ways to make the trip, don't trust Southwest.'

AlisonAngel wrote: 'Southwest flight has been cancelled (thank god) and trying to offer me a new one but think I will hedge my bets elsewhere.'

The NTSB could issue urgent recommendations for inspections on other 737s if investigators decide there is a problem that has been overlooked.

The type of riveted joint involved is not normally subjected to extensive checks for wear or fatigue.

Exposed: Passengers take photos with cell phones of a hole in the cabin on a Southwest Airlines aircraft in Yuma, Arizona

Shocked: Passengers grabbed oxygen masks as the plane made an emergency landing after the tear opened



Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said the FAA was following up on the report.

Flight Global safety expert David Learmount said of the run of events: 'It is not unusual for these type of things to happen, it was just unfortunate for Southwest that a common, minor fault took place so closely to Friday's event.



'Having smoke or fumes in the cabin happens every day several times in airlines across the world and it is just not a serious problem that staff are very well prepared and equipped to deal with.