The Los Angeles Times, "Use of Composite Material for Airplane Parts Scrutinized; FAA orders emergency inspections of Airbus jet parts"

          A modern material that has replaced metal in many aircraft structures has become a central focus of the probe into the crash of American Airlines Flight 587, raising questions about possible problems in hundreds of other jets.
          The material, used in the tail fin that broke away from Flight 587, is a composite made of many layers of carbon fibers embedded in a special resin and molded together under heat and pressure. However, the material can develop internal flaws, causing it to weaken and come apart.
          On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered emergency inspections of about 140 Airbus jets with a similar tail fin and rudder construction, saying "a potential unsafe condition may exist."