Aviation inspector goofs and delays 40 flights at O'Hare

Transportation Security Administration official touched sensitive equipment, officials say By Jon Hilkevitch | Chicago Tribune reporter A blunder by a federal security officer inspecting aircraft forced American Eagle to delay 40 flights Tuesday at O'Hare International Airport while the planes were examined for possible damage, airline officials said. The Transportation Security Administration officer was conducting routine checks to make sure that planes parked at the airport overnight were secure from tampering, according to the federal security agency and American Airlines, which owns and operates American Eagle. But while ensuring that aircraft doors were locked properly, the inspector either stepped onto or grabbed sensitive avionics probes mounted on the fuselage of nine American Eagle planes, officials said. "There is... [read full story]