All Shot Up
The DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, the FBI, U.S. Customs and several U.S. Attorneys are investigating a scam in which parts so seriously damaged that they could cause a crash were nearly installed in U.S. airliners. Because many components of military jets are interchangeable with those of commercial jetliners, unscrupulous dealers have somehow passed off parts from jets shot up in the Gulf War as acceptable commercial spares. Truckloads of such components have been seized, some with shrapnel and gaping bullet holes. Investigators found critical engine parts so badly damaged that they would have fallen apart within two hours if used.
Most Popular »
- Will Your Next Car be Made in India?
- The Pentagon Prepares for a Missile Attack from 'Iran'
- Israel vs. Hizballah: Drumbeats of War
- Top Stocks of the Decade: What the Winners Tell Us
- The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade from Hell
- Have Yourself a Sandinista Christmas...
- Agent Orange Poisons New Generations in Vietnam
- Made in India: The $12,000 Electric Car
- Despite U.S. Help, Yemen Faces Growing Al-Qaeda Threat
- The Eurostar Breakdown: 'Tis the Season to Be Livid
- Super-Earth: Astronomers Find a Watery New Planet
- Brits Get Some Holiday Cheer: No British Air Strike
- Agent Orange Poisons New Generations in Vietnam
Top Stories on TIME.com
Quotes of the Day »
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, New York City mayor, criticizing two EMTs accused of ignoring a pregnant woman who collapsed in a coffee shop where they were taking a break; the woman and her baby later died
RSS