In a rather puzzling (and very concerning) turn of events, a United Airlines aircraft concluded its journey from San Francisco to Medford, Oregon, with a notable absence—an external panel.
The incident, involving a Boeing 737-800 on Flight 433, was only discovered post-landing, despite carrying 139 passengers and six crew members to Rogue Valley International/Medford Airport without a hitch.
United Airlines, in a display of mystery befitting a detective novel, reported, “We’ll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service. We’ll also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred,” underscoring their commitment to unraveling the enigmatic circumstances.
Flight 433's Unnoticed Loss: A Post-Landing Discovery
The aircraft’s unanticipated slimming regimen prompted no alarms during its aerial voyage, with United adding, “There was no indication of the damage during the flight,” thus explaining the absence of any emergency protocols. The Federal Aviation Administration has since donned its investigative hat to probe into the affair.
This incident eerily shadows another recent aerospace anomaly involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max, which suffered a midair panel loss leading to cabin depressurization and near-catastrophic outcomes.
This sequence of events comes on the heels of a Federal Aviation Administration audit spotlighting production flaws within Boeing’s operations. A memo to Boeing staff has revealed the company’s pledge to take “immediate actions” to rectify these identified shortcomings.
If I Was Mr. Calhoun...I'd be Sweating
Adding to United’s series of unfortunate events are several other incidents, painting a less-than-ideal picture of recent operations. These include a hydraulic leak on an Airbus just before its San Francisco landing, a mysterious fluid leakage from a Boeing 777-300’s landing gear mid-journey from Sydney, a Boeing 737 Max 8’s unscheduled off-track excursion in Houston, and a Boeing 777-200’s impromptu weight reduction via wheel loss after takeoff from San Francisco.
These occurrences string together a narrative of challenges facing both United Airlines and Boeing, sparking investigations and raising eyebrows in aviation circles.