Originally Posted by
JDNSW
I think they did not assume anything - but there is a suspicion that it could be an airframe failure, and that is enough.
On the other hand, don't forget that these are old aircraft, and they were not designed by nor built by the current holder of the certificate (Boeing), so, since the FAA will be heavily influenced by the holder of the certificate, and they in turn might just welcome the opportunity to drop support of this aircraft, and would not be unhappy if they were permanently grounded!
