4 Accused in Sale of Junk Plane Parts

Aircraft engine parts destined for the junk heap instead ended up on an unknown number of airplanes worldwide, causing the potential for catastrophic failure, federal officials said in announcing fraud indictments in Chicago against four men. The parts came from two planes, a British Airways 747 and a Kuwaiti DC-9 that were destroyed by fire and shrapnel at Kuwait International Airport during Operation Desert Storm. Many of the parts were recovered within months after the war’s end, but some may still be out there, U.S. Atty. James Burns said. Federal officials declined to reveal what carriers bought the used parts.