An external panel was found to be missing from a United Airlines Boeing 737-800 jet after it landed in southern Oregon on Friday morning.
United Flight 433 left San Francisco at 10:20 a.m., and landed at Rogue Valley International Medford Airport a few minutes before noon. After it was parked at the gate, the panel was discovered to be missing during a post-flight inspection and believed to have fallen off en route. It has not been found. The panel exposed mechanical components and was located near where one of the wings meets the body of the aircraft, which is reportedly about 25 years old.
The missing panel is one of a string of concerns about Boeing jets. In early January, a Boeing 737-9 MAX lost a door plug while climbing out of Portland International Airport in Oregon. That incident exposed passengers to life-threatening conditions, but the plane was safely landed back at PDX.
Last week, a tire fell off a United Airlines Boeing 777 that was leaving San Francisco International Airport en route to Osaka, Japan. The tire did major damage to cars in the parking lot nearby.
Also last week, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 373 arrived in Portland from Cabos San Lucas, Mexico with its cargo door ajar.
