An excerpt from a Chicago Tribune editorial published on Friday

ON Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board, took the Federal Aviation Administration and the Boeing Co. to task for laxity in responding to indications that the world's most popular aircraft, Boeing's 737, has a fundamental flaw that has caused two fatal crashes.

The key words in the NTSB report were "reliably redundant," i.e., there is no mechanical or procedural safety net in the event the 737's rudder fails.

Boeing says it has begun correcting the flaw.

With more than 1,000 737s in service around the globe, Boeing has an enormous stake in being right on that. But it would be far more comforting to the American public if, in a situation like this one, a panel of experts could vouch for that as well.

Pub Date: 3/29/99