from
this link (Washington Post article)
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"The parts for commercial airliners such as the Boeing 727 and 737 were once manufactured almost exclusively in the United States. But the parts on today's big jets,
such as Boeing's 777 and its planned 787, are made in such countries as China, Japan, Brazil, Italy, France and Australia, in addition to the United States. Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, GE and other plane manufacturers buy parts made overseas largely because they are cheaper.
But the bargain-hunting has come at a price, according to a new report by the Transportation Department's inspector general.
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"Neither manufacturers nor FAA inspectors have provided effective oversight of suppliers;
this has allowed substandard parts to enter the aviation supply chain," reads the report, dated Feb. 26. The agency released the report yesterday after it was made public by the Project on Government Oversight, a nonprofit organization that focuses on government accountability.
The report cited four engine failures in 2003 -- three on the ground, one in flight -- that were traced to
"unapproved design changes made by a . . . supplier" of speed sensors on engine fuel pumps."