The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday said it proposed a $325,000 civil penalty against Southwest Airlines Co. for allegedly operating a Boeing Co. 737 that wasn't in compliance with regulations.

The agency said one of its inspectors at a maintenance facility in El Salvador discovered in July 2014 that Southwest improperly recorded a temporary repair as a permanent one to a nine-inch crease in the aluminum skin of the plane's rear cargo door. There is an aircraft overhaul center in San Salvador called Aeroman that provides heavy maintenance for a number of foreign airlines including Southwest, along with aircraft builders. It was certified by the FAA as a repair station in 1992, according to its website.

The FAA said the inspector discovered this fuselage damage had first been noted in the airline's maintenance records in May 2002, when the Dallas-based carrier made the temporary repair. The fix required Southwest to inspect the repair every 4,000 flights and complete a permanent repair within 24,000 flights.

The FAA alleges Southwest operated the aircraft on 24,831 flights without the required periodic inspections of the temporary repair, and flew the plane on 4,831 flights beyond the time required to make a permanent fix. The final repair was completed in July 2014.

The agency said Southwest has asked for a meeting to discuss the case.

Southwest said it was notified of the proposed penalty in July 2015, and that it pertained to an allegation the carrier had failed to track a condition involving a single plane back to 2002. Southwest said it discovered the potential deficiency in a maintenance check in July 2014 and all issues "were promptly addressed to the satisfaction of the FAA" before the aircraft was returned to service.

"Safety is the top priority at Southwest," the company said in a statement, adding that there is no impact to any other aircraft in its fleet.

Write to Susan Carey at susan.carey@wsj.com

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 17, 2015 17:25 ET (21:25 GMT)

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