Salem (Oregon, US): The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how a United Airlines Boeing 737-800 lost an external panel before landing safely in Oregon on Friday.

United Flight 433 landed at Medford Airport around 1:45pm carrying 139 passengers and six crew after departing from San Francisco, the FAA and airline said. The FAA said a post-landing airline inspection of the 25-year-old airplane revealed a missing panel. United said it will also investigate and said no emergency was declared because there was no indication of the damage during flight.

“We’ll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service,” the airline said in a statement. Boeing did not comment, directing questions to United Airlines.

According to FAA records, the plane was built in late 1998. The Rogue Valley Times posted a dramatic photo of the airplane with the missing panel. Traffic was briefly halted at the airport to search for the panel.

In the aftermath of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 mid-air emergency prompted by a door plug blowout, US aviation incidents are getting more attention.

Boeing has been under heavy regulatory scrutiny following the Jan 5 Alaska Airlines incident, with probes into the company’s safety and quality standards in its production process.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2024