747 Rewiring: Don't Hold Your Breath

WASHINGTON: Can anybody rewire this plane? With all the calm panic-prevention skills of an airline stewardess, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended Tuesday the rewiring of fuel tanks in more than 750 Boeing 747 jets. “Unsafe conditions... may exist in other older B-747s and should be addressed by the Federal Aviation Administration,” wrote NTSB chief Jim Hall Tuesday.

Two words he was very careful not to use in the same sentence: Flight 800. Wiring problems have been found in the TWA jet that exploded back in August 1996, and the presence of 350-volt wires next to the overheated fuel tanks is the most popular explanation in town.

So if it's broken, when are we going to fix it? Here's the rub: The FAA can happily ignore the NTSB's recommendations. "One would think they'd hop right on this, but that's not their pattern," says TIME business correspondent William Saporito. "One proposes and the other disposes. There's really no requirement at all." Next time you fly, better ask how old the plane is.