U.S. FAA probes Southwest over unauthorized parts-WSJ

Aug 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Federal air-safety regulators are investigating how unauthorized parts were installed on at least 42 Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) jets, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the details.

The regulators are examining why the carrier's maintenance-control procedures failed to flag the problem, the people told the paper.

An FAA inspector discovered last Friday that certain hinge fittings weren't approved for use on Southwest's fleet of Boeing (BA.N) 737 jets, the paper quoted people familiar with the matter as saying.

The suspect parts don't pose an "immediate safety issue," the paper cited Federal Aviation Administration as saying on Tuesday.

A dispute between the FAA and the airline kept planes temporarily grounded for part of Saturday, with some flights delayed for four hours or more, the paper said.

Southwest and the FAA could not immediately be reached for comment outside regular U.S. hours.

Southwest shares closed at $8.68 Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by S. John Tilak in Bangalore; Editing by Lincoln Feast)