SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A United Airlines plane that took off from San Francisco International Airport on Friday morning landed in Oregon with an exterior panel missing, according to officials.
United Flight 433 departed San Francisco at 10:20 a.m. and landed at Rogue Valley International Airport-Medford in Medford just before noon, according to FlightAware.com. Airport Director, Amber Good, said that the plane landed safely without any incident, and the loss of the external panel was discovered during the post-flight inspection.
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Judd said the airport temporarily suspended operations to inspect the runway and airport for any debris, but no debris was found.
Judd said she believes it was ground crew or United pilots doing a routine check before the next flight who noticed the missing panel.
The Boeing 737-800 plane was carrying 139 passengers and six crew members.
United says it will “thoroughly inspect the plane, make repairs and conduct an investigation to determine how the damage occurred.”
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The FAA also said it would investigate the matter.
United said the missing panel was on the underside of the plane where the wing meets the fuselage and directly next to the landing gear.
The plane made its maiden flight in April 1998, and was delivered to Continental Airlines in December of that year, according to the FAA. It has been operated by United Airlines since November 30, 2011. It is a 737-824, part of the 737-800 series that was the precursor to the MAX.
Boeing, also via email, said it would defer comment to United about the carrier's fleet and operations.
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United Airlines has been plagued with incidents in the past few weeks including several involving planes taking off from SFO.
Most notably, United Flight 35, where a tire fell off a Boeing 777 during takeoff. The plane was diverted to Los Angeles Airport, where it landed safely.
In January, a panel blocking a remaining space for an additional emergency door on a Max 9 exploded in midair just minutes after an Alaska Airlines flight took off from Portland, leaving a gaping hole and forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing. There were no serious injuries.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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