Navy to inspect Boeing-built jets

The Navy will inspect hundreds of fighter jets built by Boeing Co. after discovering “fatigue cracks” on more than a dozen aircraft deployed overseas.

The service issued an inspection alert for all 636 Hornet aircraft to reduce any safety risk to pilots and the planes. The attack aircraft designed for the Navy and Marine Corps cost roughly $57 million each.

Each Hornet will be inspected to check for cracks in a hinge that connects the aileron to the plane’s wing. Ailerons are flaps that control a plane’s banking movements and help to stabilize the aircraft in flight.