The external panel of a United Airlines plane has broken off mid-flight in yet another incident for airline giant Boeing.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft flew from San Francisco and safely landed in Oregon before the damage was discovered.
“This afternoon [Friday local time] United flight 433 landed safely at its scheduled destination at Rogue Valley International/Medford Airport,” United Airways told news.com.au.
“After the aircraft was parked at the gate, it was discovered to be missing an external panel.”
Pictures of the plane posted to social media showed the exposed belly of the aircraft. United Airways said no emergency landing was made as the damage was not discovered until after the flight.
“We’ll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service,” United Airways said.
“We’ll also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred.”
No injures were reported as a result of the incident. Six crew members and 139 passengers were on-board the aircraft.
Last week, about 50 people were injured during a flight from Sydney to Auckland after a sudden drop saw passengers thrown through the cabin.
The incident on the LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 flight is believed to have been caused by a flight attendant accidentally flicking a switch in the cockpit.
“The investigation of Flight LA800 is ongoing and we defer to the investigation authorities on any potential findings,” Boeing said in a statement.
More Coverage
‘Pilot seat’ focus of horror flight plunge probe
‘Pilot seat’ focus of horror flight plunge probe
Boeing whistleblower found dead in car
Boeing whistleblower found dead in car
“We have taken the precautionary measure of reminding 787 operators of a service bulletin issued in 2017 which included instructions for inspecting and maintaining switches on flight deck seats.”
In another incident last week, a Boeing 777 jetliner travelling to Japan had to make an emergency landing moments after takeoff from San Francisco when a wheel fell off and damaged several cars in the airport carpark.
In January, an Alaskan airlines flight made headlines after a panel in the cabin blew out mid-flight. Almost 200 of Boeing’s 737 Max 9 planes were grounded as a result.