The Nation - News from Nov. 30, 1988

The Federal Aviation Administration told the airlines that it wants an additional warning device in the cockpits of all U.S. commercial jetliners to tell pilots if the critical takeoff alarm system is working. The proposed directive, expected to go into effect early next year and give airlines another year to comply, would affect about 3,700 large commercial jets, the FAA said. Commercial jetliners have alarm systems that are supposed to warn pilots if the plane’s critical control devices, such as wing flaps, are not in the proper position for a takeoff. But in at least two recent crashes it is suspected that the alarms failed to sound because of a malfunction. A spot check earlier this year of Boeing 727 aircraft showed 35 cases in which the alarms either failed or did not operate properly, according to the FAA. Airlines have until February to comment on the proposal.