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Sunday 28 Apr 2024
LOCAL EDITION
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LOCAL EDITION
A Boeing aircraft operated by United Airlines has landed at an Oregon airport, missing an external panel, officials said, the latest in a series of recent incidents involving aircraft manufactured by the American company.
A post-flight inspection revealed a missing panel on a Boeing 737-800 that had just arrived at its destination in southern Oregon on Friday after flying from San Francisco.
United Flight 433 left San Francisco at 10:20 a.m. and landed at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport in Medford shortly before noon, according to FlightAware. The airport's director, Amber Judd, said the plane landed safely without incident and the external panel was discovered missing during a post-flight inspection.
The airport paused operations to check the runway and airfield for debris, Judd said, and none was found.
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced its intention to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident involving the missing panel on United Flight 433.
A United Airlines spokesperson said the flight was carrying 139 passengers and six crew members, and no emergency was declared because there was no indication of the damage during the flight.
"After the aircraft was parked at the gate, it was discovered to be missing an external panel," the United spokesperson said.
"We’ll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service. We’ll also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred."
The missing panel was on the underside of the aircraft where the wing meets the body and just next to the landing gear, United said.
According to airfleets.net, United Airlines has operated the aircraft since November 30, 2011. It is a 737-824, part of the 737-800 series that was a precursor to the Max.
Boeing said, also via email, that it would defer comment to United about the carrier's fleet and operations.
???? BREAKING: UNITED AIRLINES BOEING 737 LOSES PANEL MID-FLIGHT
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 15, 2024
Flight 433 had just taken off from San Francisco and was forced to divert to an Oregon airport.
Thankfully, the plane landed safely, and no injuries have been reported at this time.
Why does this keep happening?… pic.twitter.com/HuMpCoZ69v
A sequence of close calls
In January a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off a Max 9 jet in midair just minutes after an Alaska Airlines flight took off from Portland, leaving a gaping hole and forcing pilots to make an emergency landing. There were no serious injuries.
The door plug was eventually found in the backyard of a high school physics teacher in southwest Portland, along with other debris from the flight scattered nearby. The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation.
On March 6, fumes detected in the cabin of a Boeing 737-800 Alaska Airlines flight destined for Phoenix caused pilots to head back to the Portland airport.
The Port of Portland said passengers and crew noticed the fumes and the flight landed safely. Seven people including passengers and crew requested medical evaluations, but no one was hospitalised, officials said.
On Friday, Boeing announced that it has instructed airlines to inspect the cockpit seats of its 787 Dreamliner plane. This directive follows an incident on Monday where a Latam Airlines plane experienced a sudden plunge during a flight to Auckland, New Zealand, resulting in passenger injuries.
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Source: TRT
