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Seattle-based Alaska Airlines should pay a $590,000 fine for flying Boeing 737s with improperly installed clamps, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.
“Maintenance work has to be performed precisely and correctly every time,” FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a news release. “Improper maintenance can have serious consequences.”
Workers load a cargo container into an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-400 combination freighter-passenger airliner at Alaska's maintenance hangar in Anchorage, Alaska, on Feb. 1, 2007. (AP Photo/Al Grillo)

An improperly installed hose clamp chaffed wiring on a 737-400, leading to a fire in the ceiling of the aircraft on Jan. 18, 2010, while it was parked at the gate at Anchorage International Airport, the FAA said. It said Alaska had most recently performed maintenance in the burned area in August 2008.
The 737-400 maintenance manual “includes an explicit warning about proper installation of the hose clamp,” the FAA said. “Alaska subsequently discovered the same problem existed on nine other 737-400s in its fleet and made corrections. There were no other fires.”
Alaska operated 2,107 flights with improperly installed clamps, the FAA said. The airline has 30 days to respond to the proposed fine. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.