Boeing 737 loses outer panel mid-flight

US News

by Patrick Reilly

A Boeing 737-800 lost an exterior panel mid-flight Friday, the latest issue with one of the manufacturer's planes that was only discovered when it landed at an Oregon airport, according to officials.

United Airlines Flight 433 departed from San Francisco around 10:20 a.m. local time and landed safely at its intended destination, Rogue Valley International Airport-Medford, about 70 minutes later, according to flight and airport officials. Trip data.

Once the plane arrived at the gate, an external panel was found missing, halting operations at the airport while a runway safety check was conducted, airport director Amber Goode told The Post in a statement.

There was no indication of a problem and no emergency was ever declared during the flight, which had 139 passengers and six crew members on board, according to United.

Airport employees searched for the missing plate in the airport building, but were unable to locate it.

“After no debris was found at the airport, normal operations at MFR resumed a few minutes later,” she said.

United Airlines said it plans to conduct a “thorough inspection” of the 25-year-old plane, and will “make all necessary repairs before it returns to service.”

“We will also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred,” the airline added.

A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said it would also investigate the incident.

Boeing declined to comment when contacted by The Post.

This frightening accident represents at least the seventh accident involving a Boeing aircraft in the past two weeks.

An American Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday evening due to a “potential mechanical problem” on board a Boeing plane.

A United Airlines flight from Sydney to San Francisco on Monday was forced to turn back mid-flight due to a hydraulic leak. The Boeing 777-300, which was carrying 167 passengers and 16 crew members, landed safely in Sydney.

Hours earlier, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its way from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand, encountered a technical problem that led to 50 passengers being injured.

A United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Japan was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport on March 7 after a tire fell off a Boeing 777-20 after takeoff, damaging cars in the parking lot on the ground.