Boeing believed there was nothing about how Southwest operates planes that may have contributed to the April 1 incident, Richter said. Flight 812 was heading from Phoenix to Sacramento, California, when a 5-foot (1.52 meters) tear opened up 20 minutes after takeoff.
"The reality is they (Southwest) operate a large fleet of 737s ... and certainly the largest 737 classic fleet," Richter said. "It's just a statistical event far more than it has anything to do with Southwest and how they operate the airplane," he added.