A federal security officer made a serious mistake while inspecting aircrafts, which forced 40 flights of American Eagle, an airline subsidiary of American Airlines, to be delayed on Tuesday at the O’Hare International Airport during the time the planes were being examined for damage, according to airline officials. The Transportation Security Administration officer, according to American Airlines and the federal security agency, was doing routine checks in order to ensure that the aircrafts that were parked overnight at the airport were secure from any tampering.

However, while making sure that the doors of the planes were properly locked, the inspector either grabbed or stepped onto sensitive avionics probes that are mounted on 9 of American Eagle’s planes’ fuselages, according to officials. Mary Frances Fagan, a spokeswoman for American, said that there are signs that clearly say not to step there. There was no damage found on any of the planes, however, the inspections lasted 2 hours for every plane, she continued. For the time that the planes were grounded, American Eagle had to delay 40 of their flights. The security agency is going to prevent future occurrences by retaining their inspectors.

After this on Tuesday, a disclosure was made on Wednesday saying that the inspector had been able to board 7 out of the nine planes, of which were suppose to be secure while staying on the tarmac throughout the night. Questions have been raised about the security procedures of American Eagle at O’Hare International Airport, but they have defended their security measures.

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