Getting your player ready...
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Wednesday ordered operators to make safety adjustments to the fuel tanks of more than 400 Boeing 767s registered in the U.S. in order to prevent a devastating midflight explosion.
The safety directive, issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, gives operators of the popular airliner three years to install an automatic fuel pump shut-off system for the center fuel tanks on 767s. The concern is that if fuel in the tanks becomes too low while the pump is still operating, under certain conditions it could ignite fuel and air vapors, causing an explosion.
In the meantime, flight crews are supposed to shut off the pumps themselves when fuel gets low.
