Airbus planes with 'sharklets' need new crack inspections

US aviation regulators are proposing new mandatory inspections for specific Airbus A319, A320, and A321 airplanes. This means operators will have to repeatedly check for cracks in the lower wing cover material on planes equipped with wingtip devices called 'sharklets'.

Aircraft parts are designed to last a certain number of flight cycles before they might fail. When a new material or design element, like the 'sharklets' on these Airbus planes, shows unexpected fatigue cracking in tests, it means the original safety assumptions were wrong. This proposed rule forces airlines to find these cracks before they become a problem, which adds to maintenance costs and potentially grounds planes for repairs.