NTSB Recommends FAA Issue Maintenance Bulletin on Fuselage Scratch Risks

The NTSB recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration issue a maintenance bulletin to all manufacturers, airlines, air carrier maintenance organizations, and aviation maintenance training schools. The bulletin should inform them about the circumstances of two incidents, request that they provide appropriate informational material to personnel who perform work on aircraft structure, whether certificated or non-certificated mechanics, about the serious consequences of minor scratches on pressurized fuselage skin panels, and outline the proper techniques and tools for marking materials to prevent the possibility of creating fatigue initiation from minor scratches.