WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FAA said Friday it is heightening scrutiny of American Airlines after the carrier had three landings go wrong in December.
"In situations where there may be several incidents involving a single carrier over a short period of time, FAA inspectors increase their oversight, which we're doing now," FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.
The review was prompted by the botched landings of three planes between Dec. 13 and Dec. 24. In the Dec. 13 incident, an MD-80 landing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina touched down and went off the left side of the runway. While trying to get back onto the runway, the plane's right wingtip touched the ground.
On Dec. 22, a Boeing 737 overran a runway amid heavy rain at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica, injuring 91 passengers.
And on Dec. 24, an MD-80 en route from Chicago struck a wingtip upon landing in Austin, Texas.
Billy Sanez, a spokesman for American, a unit of AMR Corp (AMR, Fortune 500)., told CNN Friday that the airline is cooperating with the investigation, which he said was routine in landing incidents.
Lunsford said the review will help determine whether the botched landings "might be indicative of a larger issue."
If so, he said "the FAA communicates its findings to the air carrier and assists in the development of the appropriate corrective action."
-- CNN's Mike Ahlers and Dave Alsup contributed to this report. 
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 15,303.10 | 8.60 | 0.06% |
| Nasdaq | 3,459.14 | -0.28 | -0.01% |
| S&P 500 | 1,649.60 | -0.91 | -0.06% |
| Treasuries | 2.01 | -0.01 | -0.59% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 13.24 | 0.03 | 0.23% |
| General Electric Co | 23.53 | -0.13 | -0.55% |
| Pfizer Inc | 29.04 | -0.07 | -0.24% |
| Microsoft Corp | 34.27 | 0.12 | 0.35% |
| Intel Corp | 23.92 | -0.13 | -0.53% |
|
The fuss over Apple's complex strategies to avoid taxes put the corporate tax code on display in all its convoluted glory this week. More |
The 79 tornadoes that hit over three days in 10 states caused billions in losses, with most of damage concentrated in Moore, Oklahoma. More |
Users are flocking to a new email program. More |
Vermont, a patent-rich state, is cracking down on so-called "patent trolling," a growing problem for entrepreneurs nationwide. More |
New residents are flocking to these 10 cities, which added the largest number of people between July 2011 and July 2012, according to Census Bureau. More |
.
