Boeing aircraft with a missing panel arrives at an airfield in Oregon
United Airlines said on Friday that, upon successfully landing at Rogue Valley International Medford Airport in Oregon, one of its Boeing 737-800 planes was discovered to be missing an exterior panel.
The jet, according to United, had six crew members and 139 passengers on board when the missing panel was found after the aircraft was parked at the gate.
The airline stated in a statement, “We’ll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service.” The airline also said it will carry out an investigation to determine the incident’s cause.
Boeing sent inquiries to United Airlines and remained silent.
The aircraft had taken off from San Francisco, according to FlightRadar24, a company that tracks flights.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were looking into last week’s incident at George Bush Airport in Houston, when a Boeing 737 MAX operated by United Airlines skidded off the runway and into the grass.
Following an Alaska Airlines mid-air panel burst on January 5, Boeing has been the subject of intense regulatory scrutiny, with investigations examining the company’s safety and quality standards in its manufacturing process.
