A post-flight inspection revealed a missing panel on an aging Boeing 737-800 that had just arrived at its destination in Southern Oregon on Friday after flying from San Francisco, officials said, the latest in a series of recent accidents involving aircraft produced by the company. agency.
United Flight 433 departed San Francisco at 10:20 a.m. and landed at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport in Medford just before noon, according to FlightAware. Airport director Amber Judd said the plane landed without incident and the exterior panel was discovered missing during a post-flight inspection. No injuries were reported.
The airport suspended operations to check the runway and airport for debris, Judd said, and none was found.
Judd said he believed United’s ground crew or pilots who were performing a routine inspection before the next flight were the ones who noticed the missing panel.
A United Airlines spokesperson said via email that the flight was carrying 139 passengers and six crew members and that no emergency was declared because there were no indications of damage during the flight.
“After the plane was parked at the gate, it was discovered that an external panel was missing,” the US spokesperson said. “We will carry out a thorough examination of the aircraft and carry out any necessary repairs before it returns to service. We will also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred.”
The Federal Aviation Administration also said it would investigate.
The missing panel was located on the underside of the plane, where the wing meets the body and right next to the landing gear, United said.
According to the FAA, the plane made its first flight in April 1998 and was delivered to Continental Airlines in December of that year. United Airlines has operated it 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 by email, that it would defer any comment to United about the carrier’s fleet and operations.
In January a panel blocking a space left for an additional emergency door caused a Boeing Max 9 to explode in mid-air minutes after an Alaska Airlines flight took off from Portland, leaving a hole and forcing the pilots to make a 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 opened a criminal investigation.
On March 6, fumes detected in the cabin of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 flight destined for Phoenix forced the pilots to return 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, required medical evaluations, but no one was hospitalized, officials said.
___
Baumann reported from Bellingham, Washington.