A United Airlines-operated Boeing 737-800 experienced the loss of an external panel during flight on Friday (Mar 15), contributing to ongoing concerns surrounding the manufacturing of these aircraft.
According to officials, the absence of the external panel was only discovered after the aircraft safely landed at an airport in Oregon.
United Airlines Flight 433 departed from San Francisco at approximately 10:20 a.m. local time and completed its journey to Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, landing safely approximately 70 minutes later, according to airport authorities and flight data.
Upon arrival at the gate, airport director Amber Judd reported that officials observed the missing external panel on the aircraft.
Subsequently, airport operations were temporarily halted as authorities conducted a safety check of the runway, as mentioned by Amber Judd in a statement to The New York Post.
United Airlines stated that the flight did not issue any alerts or indications of a problem during the journey, and no emergency was declared while the aircraft was in flight. The flight was carrying 139 passengers and six crew members, according to United Airlines.
Judd further mentioned that after a thorough inspection of the airfield, no debris was found, and normal airport operations resumed shortly thereafter.
United Airlines has announced plans to conduct a comprehensive examination of the 25-year-old aircraft and undertake any necessary repairs before returning it to service. Additionally, the airline intends to investigate the incident to determine the cause of the damage. A spokesperson confirmed that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will also be involved in the investigation.
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