A United Airlines passenger plane lost a cover on its fuselage in flight on Friday. The damage to the Boeing 737-800 The airline said it was only discovered on the ground after the problem-free landing in the city of Medford, Oregon. Previously the local newspaper had Rogue Valley Times published an eyewitness photo showing exposed mechanics. Shortly after the incident, photos of the damaged machine were also circulating online on Platform X, including the question: “Why does this keep happening?”
According to United, the plane took off from San Francisco with 139 passengers and six crew members. Judging by the onboard number from another eyewitness photo, the aircraft was put into service in 1998. “We will thoroughly examine the aircraft and carry out any necessary repairs before returning it to service,” the airline said in a statement, adding that it would also investigate the cause of the incident. Boeing has not yet commented on the latest incident.
The American aircraft manufacturer is currently increasingly in the spotlight after an almost new machine of the type was launched at the beginning of January 737-9 Max had lost a part of the fuselage during the climb after take-off. According to initial investigations, the US accident investigation authority NTSB assumes that four fastening bolts were missing from the torn out fuselage fragment.
However, for a 25-year-old aircraft like the United plane that took off this Friday, maintenance or material fatigue is likely to play a larger role than production. United announced an investigation into how the incident occurred.