Thai 737 Explosion Update: pumps working on empty

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CNN

Thai 737 explosion prompts FAA rule on fuel pumps

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering U.S. airlines not to use fuel pumps on Boeing 737s when the fuel tanks are mostly empty.

The order was prompted by the explosion of a Thai Airways International jetliner in Bangkok two months ago.

While the cause of the Thai explosion is still not known, investigators say it appears that the Boeing 737-400's center wing fuel tank's pumps were operating dry -- meaning no fuel was passing through them -- at the time of the explosion. That could result in overheating and excessive wear on bearings, and could ultimately lead to a fuel tank explosion, the FAA said.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), April 27, 2001


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