A Boeing United Airlines flight landed in southern Oregon on Friday and an external panel was discovered to be absent.
United Flight 433 left San Francisco at 10:20 a.m. and arrived in Medford, Ore., around noon. The missing external panel was noticed on the underside of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft after it was parked at the gate at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, according to United Airlines.
The plane, with 139 passengers and six crew members, did not declare an emergency as no damage was detected during the flight.
The company stated to The Hill that it will investigate the incident.
United mentioned, “We'll thoroughly inspect the plane and make necessary repairs before it goes back into service. We'll also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred.”
Airport Director Amber Judd reported that no debris was found after the plane landed.
Judd informed The Hill that normal operations at MFR resumed shortly after.
When asked for comment, Boeing directed The Hill to United Airlines for information about their fleet and operations.
The incident occurred two months after an Alaska Airlines-operated Boeing 737 Max plane lost a door panel mid-flight, leading to a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice on Jan. 5.
