According to KRON4, a panel was discovered missing on a United Airlines Boeing 737 after it landed at its destination on Friday.
United Flight 433 departed San Francisco International Airport (SFO) at approximately 10:20 a.m. and landed at its destination in Medford, Oregon, at approximately 11:34 a.m. according to Go to FlightAware. However, after arriving at Rogue Valley International Airport, authorities discovered the plane was missing a panel. (Related: Report: United Airlines asks Boeing to discontinue production of up to 10 aircraft originally purchased by the airline)
medford airport staff Said KRON4 announced that no damage to the plane was reported and United Airlines did not declare an emergency landing as there was no sign of damage to the plane during the trip.
“This afternoon, United Airlines Flight 433 landed safely at its scheduled destination, Rogue Valley International Airport/Medford Airport. After the aircraft was parked at the gate, it was discovered that an external panel was missing. We will conduct a thorough inspection of the aircraft and make any necessary repairs before returning it to service. We will also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred.” a United Airlines spokesperson told the program.
#breaking news — Confirmed by KRON 4 — Just after noon today, a United Airlines Boeing 737 that took off from SFO landed in Medford with a missing panel.
Medford Airport officials said the missing panel was never found. There were no injuries to the passengers. Airport operations have returned to normal. pic.twitter.com/XSuDtXG1wD
— Stephanie Lin (@StephanieLinTV) March 15, 2024
The incident follows a series of similar problems in recent days with major airlines and Boeing aircraft. In early March, video footage showed a United Airlines flight bound for Japan, identified as a Boeing 777-200, losing one of its six tires shortly after takeoff from SFO. . In another United Airlines Boeing incident, video captured the plane’s left wing bursting into flames, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.
Boeing jets have been in the spotlight since January, when video footage of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max-9 plane exiting a large window shortly after takeoff was released. This infamous incident sparked an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which recently uncovered a series of problems at Boeing.
The six-week audit found that both Boeing and one of its major suppliers, Spirit AeroSystems, were not adhering to key quality control standards. Boeing said that out of 89 product audits, he passed only 56, and 97 nonconformances caused him to fail 33 audits. Since the release of the report, the FAA has given Boeing 90 days to come up with a plan to address the issue.
