Airliner Fuel Tanks Safe, Says Industry Report 

                  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A three-year inspection of airliner fuel systems
                  prompted by the crash of TWA (AMEX:TWA - news) Flight 800 failed to
                  turn up any major safety problems, according to an aviation industry report
                  released on Wednesday.

                  TWA Fight 800, a Boeing (NYSE:BA - news) 747, exploded and fell into
                  the sea shortly after takeoff from New York on July 17, 1996, killing 230
                  people. Government officials have determined that the explosion occurred in
                  the center wing fuel tank, but the cause of the explosion remains unidentified.

                  In the wake of the crash, a coalition of aircraft manufacturers and air carriers
                  inspected the fuel systems on 990 aircraft worldwide.

                  ``The fuel tank systems of the world are soundly designed and do not
                  degrade over time,'' said Robert Peel, safety director of the Air Transport
                  Association, a group of air carriers that includes TWA.

                  The report did provide any clues, and industry officials declined to speculate,
                  as to why TWA Flight 800 exploded.

                  ``It is fair to say we did not find anything in our investigation that would lead
                  us to a conclusion on TWA Flight 800,'' said Robert Robeson, vice president
                  of civil aviation of the Aerospace Industries Association.

                  The report recommended stepping up maintenance and inspections of fuel
                  systems to enhance safety. It did not address a Federal Aviation
                  Administration proposal to pump inert gas into fuel tanks to prevent
                  explosions.