"Aging wiring is an issue of national concern that extends  beyond aviation," the paper quoted Duncan Moore, the White  House's associate director for technology, as saying in a May 10  memo.  

Damaged wire insulation has led to fires and electrical  equipment failures for years in military and commercial  airplanes, according to Air Force, Navy and Federal Aviation  Administration (FAA) documents.  

U.S. and Canadian investigators are also studying whether  wiring malfunctions might have caused the crashes of TWA Flight  800 in 1996 and Swissair Flight 111 in 1998.  

All 230 people aboard the TWA Boeing 747-100 that crashed  off Long Island, New York on July 17, 1996 died. The Swissair  MD-11 crash off Nova Scotia on Sept. 2, 1998, killed all 229  people on board.  

The paper said NASA had put a hold on space shuttle flights  last September because damaged wiring was found throughout the  agency's aircraft. An exposed wire caused a short circuit during  the launch of the shuttle Columbia last summer. Similar flaws  were later found elsewhere on Columbia and on the Endeavor and  Discovery shuttles.  

The research group "will become the focal point for wire  safety technology in the U.S.," Moore's memo says, according to  the USA Today report.  

"This group will be responsible for ensuring that federal  research is coordinated and communicated in a timely way to  improve safety for air, space and other areas where aging wiring  is a safety issue," it said.  

The group's first meeting is set for Wednesday, Moore told  the paper in an interview. Officials from the FAA, the Defense  Department, NASA and other agencies have been asked to attend.   In the memo, Moore said his office decided to form the group  after reviewing research and safety efforts begun by the  government agencies and meeting with leaders of the  International Aviation Safety Association, a consumer safety  organization.