In Medford, Oregon, an unexpected discovery was made after a United Airlines Boeing 737-800 completed its journey from San Francisco to Rogue Valley International Medford Airport. The aircraft was found to be missing a piece of its exterior panel following its arrival.
The flight, United Flight 433, had departed from San Francisco shortly after 10 a.m. on a Friday and touched down just before noon, as tracked by FlightAware and reported by The Associated Press.
Upon landing safely, the airport’s director, Amber Judd, confirmed that the missing panel was identified during a routine post-flight check. She assured that the plane landed without any issues.
Following the discovery, airport operations were briefly halted. Crews were deployed to search the surrounding area for any potential debris. However, their search came up empty, with no debris found, as reported by the AP.
United Airlines released a statement, obtained by KPIX, detailing that the missing external panel was noticed only after the aircraft had been parked at the gate. The exact timing of when the panel was lost remains unclear, whether it happened before departure or during the flight on Friday. The flight had carried 139 passengers and six crew members.
United Airlines has committed to a thorough inspection and necessary repairs of the aircraft before it is returned to service. Additionally, an investigation will be conducted to understand how the damage occurred. It was noted that an emergency declaration was not made during the flight as the damage was discovered post-landing.
This incident adds to a series of recent events involving United Airlines flights departing from San Francisco. Notably, a tire detached from a Boeing 777 during takeoff on United Flight 35, which later safely landed in Los Angeles before being diverted, as reported by KGO-TV.