American Airlines and Delta Air Lines resumed normal schedules Friday after completing inspections of wiring on hundreds of temporarily grounded aircraft, while US FAA said it will issue preliminary findings this week of its audit of domestic carriers' compliance with airworthiness directives. Continental Airlines and Alaska Airlines also acknowledged that they have conducted inspections of older 737s but said the checks have not disrupted flight schedules. The issue will come under the spotlight Thursday when the US House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee holds a hearing to examine what it calls "critical lapses in FAA safety oversight of airlines." FAA and Dept. of Transportation officials will appear along with "whistle-blower" FAA inspectors alleging problems in the oversight system. Southwest Airlines Chairman Herb Kelleher and CEO Gary Kelly are slated to testify regarding FAA's proposed $10.2 million penalty against the airline (ATWOnline, March 28). Former US Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta told the Los Angeles Times last week that "FAA is going to have to step up their pressure on the airlines and do more frequent inspections. . .[but] they do not have enough FAA inspectors to do the job. That is something that Congress is going to have to take a look at." Separately, US Airways said it found issues with seven out of 17 757s following inspections that were precipitated by an incident last week in which a small part of a wing dislodged and struck a passenger window, the Associated Press reported. Aircraft were returned to service after repairs, AP said, adding that US is rechecking paperwork on 86 737 Classics to ensure inspections conformed to FAA regulations. by Aaron Karp