United Grounds 7 Jumbos

United Airlines has grounded seven Boeing 747s to check the cockpit instruments that indicate altitude during flight. The decision was prompted by the discovery that equipment at a facility in South Korea where the instruments had been checked were improperly maintained, the Wall Street Journal reports. The FAA uncovered the lapse and informed United.

The incident is likely to fuel the debate over the use of overseas facilities to maintain the fleets of US carriers and how effective FAA oversight of those facilities has been. Unions, passenger advocates, and lawmakers have registered complaints, although no major accidents have been attributed to flawed foreign inspections. (More United Airlines stories.)