FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         CIV
FRIDAY, MAY 12, 1995                               (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

   TEXTRON PAYS U.S. $100,000 FOR IMPROPER TESTING OF LOCKNUTS

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Textron Inc. will pay the United States
$100,000 to settle allegations it failed to properly test
locknuts it manufactured for military aircraft, the Department of
Justice announced today.
     Assistant Attorney General Frank Hunger said Textron
disclosed the incident to the Inspector General of the Department
of Defense in 1989 under DOD's Voluntary Disclosure Program and
estimated the government suffered about $35,000 in damages.  
     DOD verified Textron's information through its own
investigation and audit.  
     Textron said its Cherry Division facility in Santa Ana,
California, failed to properly perform stress embrittlement tests
on certain flyweight nuts and that only samples of 12-point nuts
were inspected by dye penetrant and/or magnetic particle methods
although the contract required that all nuts be inspected by
those methods.  In some instances, inspection documents were
fabricated to avoid detection.
     The settlement amount is consistent with the provisions of
the False Claims Act which permits a reduction of civil damages
when the company reports the information to the government and
cooperates during the resulting investigation, the Department
said.
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95-269