An external panel detached on a United Airlines-operated Boeing 737-800 aircraft, leaving a visible gap in the fuselage. What caused this to happen and how did it go unnoticed until it was later discovered on the ground?
External Panel Comes Lose From United Airlines 738-800, Likely In-Flight
On Friday, March 15, 2024, a United 737-800, registration number N26226, took off from San Francisco (SFO) bound for Medford, Oregon (MFR). The aircraft was over 25 years old. UA433 landed without incident in Medford: no emergency was declared (contrary to some early reports) and none of the 139 passengers or six crewmembers were thought ever to be in danger.
But on the ground in Oregon a very visible missing external panel was discovered:
Quite a sight as United #433 lands at Medford Airport this afternoon after panel apparently lost in-flight from San Francisco. No injuries, all safe, per updates coming in from our reporters. Plane is a 25-year-old Boeing 737-824 More…