Boeing 737 jets to be inspected for fault affecting horizontal stabilisers

More than 1,000 new models of the popular Boeing 737 line had been called for inspection by US authorities who fear there may be a factory defect with the jetliners.
The Boeing 737, the most popular jetliner model in the world, has been issued a directive to inspect the horizontal stabilizer attachment pins.
According to the US Federal Register, the directive was "prompted by reports of an incorrect procedure used to apply the wear and corrosion protective surface coating to attach pins of the horizontal stabilizer rear spar."
The inspection directive is aimed at preventing "premature failure of the attach pins, which could cause reduced structural integrity of the horizontal stabilizer to fuselage attachment, resulting in loss of control of the airplane."
Indonesian authorities have launched an investigation into PT Lion Mentari Airlines, after one of Lion's Boeing 737 airplanes crashed into the ocean near Bali. The crash, in which no passengers were killed, caused the hull of the airplane to split into two.
In 2000 an in-flight failure of its horizontal stabilizers caused an Alaska Airlines McDonnel Douglas MD-83 to plummet into a steep nose dive, killing all 83 on board.