A Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by United Airlines flew Friday with a large part of its exterior missing, according to the airline, marking the latest in a series of malfunctions to plague the manufacturer.
The flight from San Francisco to Oregon landed safely, but upon arrival crews discovered a broken exterior panel on the 25-year-old aircraft.
According to a statement from United Airlines, no emergency had been declared and the missing piece was not discovered until all 139 passengers and six crew members safely disembarked from the plane.
“We’ll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service,” the airline said.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says it has launched an investigation into the incident. It marks the seventh reported incident involving a Boeing plane just this week.
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