Southwest and Gol ground 737 NG aircraft due to structural cracks

Southwest Airlines and Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas have grounded a total of 13 Boeing Co 737 NG airplanes. The grounding comes after US regulators FAA ordered urgent inspections last week after the company notified the agency of structural cracks. The cracking was found in the plane’s pickle forks, which attach the plane’s body to its wing structure. It’s believed that Southwest has grounded two planes, while Gol said it had grounded 11. In a statement, Gol said it found “evidence of the need to replace a specific component, whose characteristics were not compliant with the standards set by the maker.”