FBI Now Investigating Damage To Three Aircraft

The investigation into what, for all the world, looks like bullet holes in the fuselage of a US Airways jet has now expanded to include three aircraft -- and the FBI is hot on the case.

As ANN reported Monday, A US Airways Airbus A320 was being evaluated after a mechanic in Orlando (FL) found suspicious holes in the aircraft. The aircraft was sent to Charlotte (NC), where two more planes were found to have the same type of punctures on their exterior surfaces.

Holes were discovered in the other two aircraft -- another A320 and a Boeing 737 -- and that may not be all. US Airways spokesman David Castelveter said the airline had contacted the FBI in the past regarding damage to its aircraft. "There are a variety of potential reasons for the damage," he told the Washington Post.

"That's why we've opened up an investigation. We are trying to determine those various issues," said FBI spokesman David Martinez.

Authorities are especially interested in the damage because, for the second time, US Airways is in bankruptcy. Tuesday, ANN reported the bankruptcy judge, who called the airline's financial situation a "ticking time bomb," allowed the company to cut worker pay by 21-percent.

But the damage could just as easily have been caused by something completely unrelated. Martinez suggested the aircraft might have kicked up gravel, which penetrated the bellies of the planes on take-off or landing.

FMI: www.usairways.com