All Shot Up

The DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, the FBI, U.S. Customs and several U.S. Attorneys are investigating a scam in which parts so seriously damaged that they could cause a crash were nearly installed in U.S. airliners. Because many components of military jets are interchangeable with those of commercial jetliners, unscrupulous dealers have somehow passed off parts from jets shot up in the Gulf War as acceptable commercial spares. Truckloads of such components have been seized, some with shrapnel and gaping bullet holes. Investigators found critical engine parts so badly damaged that they would have fallen apart within two hours if used.