Air New Zealand said Wednesday a wing panel that fell off a jumbo jet in mid-flight last week had only four of the 125 screws needed, as the airline grounded another plane following the discovery of rust on its wing.
The Boeing 747 was forced to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 24 after pilots had trouble extending the right wing flap. It was later discovered that the 4-foot panel dropped into the sea shortly after takeoff from Auckland.
Bill Jacobson, senior vice president of Air New Zealand's operations and technical division, said although the panel had red tape on it, indicating work was in progress, the plane had somehow been allowed to go to Los Angeles. Civil Aviation has launched an inquiry into the incident.
"There were signs of pull through tearing at each corner ... indicating that it had been held in place by only four screws instead of the usual 125," Jacobson said in a statement.
The admission came as the airline grounded another Boeing 747-400 after engineers found rust in a wing flap during inspections of the airline's seven jumbos.
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