Banned Canisters Aboard Continental Jet

Seven oxygen generators, banned as cargo on passenger planes since a ValuJet DC-9 crash barely a year ago, were found in the cargo of a recent Continental Airlines flight, the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday.

The generators, which were secured by safety caps, were in a cargo shipment of airline parts discovered by Continental workers 10 days after the passenger flight to Houston from Los Angeles. The canisters were not listed as part of the shipment, said FAA spokesman Eliot Brenner.

The FAA said the flight was on April 15, but the airline said it was April 16.

Houston-based Continental issued a statement Tuesday saying the disarmed generators were shipped accidentally by a vendor who failed to disclose they were hazardous.

“The airline immediately reported this occurrence to the FAA when the shipment was discovered. In addition to our own internal audit, Continental is working closely with the FAA in its investigation to determine how this shipment happened,” the statement said.