A method and system for identifying foreign objection (FOD) in items such
as aircraft are disclosed. The item may be imaged using x-ray backscatter
before and after work is performed thereon. The image taken before work
may be subtracted from the image taken after the work to provide a
resultant image. The resultant image may indicate the presence of any
FOD. Potential FOD in the resultant image may be checked against a
database of known FOD to determine the identity thereof. By finding FOD,
the occurrence of catastrophes such as aircraft crashes may be mitigated.