The Wires Behind American’s Flight Cancellations

Wired offers a detailed explanation of just why American Airlines’ inspection of its MD-80s last week was so important: “The wiring bundles are located near the plane’s fuel tanks, and failure to follow the FAA directive could result in a wire shorting out and sparking. Which could result in jet fumes igniting. Which could cause an explosion in the fuel tank. Which, as you can imagine, could be a really bad situation.”

©2026 World Hum, All Rights Reserved