A Boeing 737-800 was found to have a missing panel after a United Airlines flight arrived at its destination in southern Oregon on Friday, airport officials said.
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.
A United Airlines plane was grounded Friday in Medford after it was found to be missing a panel after it touched down on a flight from San Francisco. There were no reported injuries. https://t.co/c0iDhBqTDk pic.twitter.com/ypZbl0HgFI
— Rogue Valley Times (@RogueValTimes) March 15, 2024
The airport paused operations to check the runway and airfield for debris, Judd said, and no debris was found.
Judd said she believed the United ground crew or pilots doing routine inspection before the next flight were the ones who noticed the missing panel.
The panel was on the underside of the aircraft, where the wing meets the body and near where the landing gear deploys, United told The Associated Press via email.
The Associated Press has reached out to Boeing for comment.