Continental Airlines Inc was fined $230,000 on Tuesday by U.S. aviation authorities for flying a jetliner that was not in compliance with maintenance regulations.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Continental failed to properly maintain the nose landing gear wheel on a Boeing Co. 767 in August 2008.
The airline flew the plane on 22 flights without an axle washer despite warnings in the maintenance manual and on the tire assembly that failure to install the part could lead to a failure of the wheel bearing, the FAA said.
FAA inspectors discovered the violation during a records check and noted there had been three similar violations previously, the agency said.
The airline said it was reviewing the fine but noted the incidents were isolated and have since been resolved. Continental has 30 days to appeal.