A United Airlines flight lost an external panel during the flight, which is the latest safety issue for Boeing.
The Boeing 737-824 plane departed from San Francisco International Airport on Friday at 10.20am with 139 passengers and six crew members. It wasn't until the plane safely landed in Mogue Valley International/Medford Airport in Oregon that United discovered the missing part, KGO reported.
‘After the aircraft was parked at the gate, it was discovered to be missing an external panel,’ stated United Airlines.
Pilots were unaware of the incident during the flight.
The part that came off was the wing to body fairing under the aircraft where the wing and body meet, according to United.
United said it will thoroughly inspect the plane, make repairs, and investigate the cause of the damage.
The plane has been grounded while the investigation takes place.
United Airline Flight 433 arrived at 11.36am, 17 minutes earlier than scheduled, according to FlightAware.
No debris was found at the scene, and normal operations resumed shortly after.
‘There was no sign of the damage during flight’ and the plane did not make an emergency landing, the airline said.
No one was hurt, according to Jackson County Airport Director Amber Judd. She also noted that it was not a new plane.
‘It was not a MAX aircraft,’ said Judd.
This issue comes as Boeing faces multiple lawsuits for other safety incidents on recent flights. Most notably, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-MAX 9 door plug fell out during flight in January.
Earlier this month, United Airlines Flight 35, a Boeing 777-200, lost part of a landing gear tire during takeoff from San Francisco International Airport to Osaka, Japan. The debris landed in an employee parking lot. The plane diverted to Los Angeles International Airport, and no one was hurt.
And on Monday, another United Airlines flight, a Boeing 777-300 that departed from Sydney for San Francisco, was forced to turn back to Australia after fuel was seen coming from its landing gear.
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