Boeing plane missing external panel lands in Oregon airport, United Airlines says

A Boeing aircraft operated by United Airlines landed at an Oregon airport on Friday missing an external panel, the airline said. 

United Flight 433 departed San Francisco and landed safely at its destination, the Rogue Valley International/Medford Airport in Medord, Oregon around 1:45 p.m., a United spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

“After the aircraft was parked at the gate, it was discovered to be missing an external panel,” the airline said. “We’ll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service.”

The Boeing 737 was carrying 139 passengers and 6 crew members. No one was injured. 

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The aircraft didn’t declare an emergency at the airport as there was no indication of damage during ther flight, United said. 

An investigation will be opened to determine how the panel came apart, the airline said. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will also open an investigation, an FAA spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

The 25-year-old aircraft involved in Friday’s incident was first delivered to Continental Airlines, which merged with United in 2012, in December 1998, according to Airfleets, which tracks information on civil aircraft. 

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Boeing aircraft have been involved in a series of mid-flight incidents that have raised questions about the company’s safety record. 

On Wednesday, an American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles after a possible mechanical issue aboard a Boeing 777 airplane.

On Monday, United Airlines Flight 830, which was heading from Sydney to San Francisco, was forced to turn around mid-flight due to a fuel leak. The Boeing 777-300 plane was carrying 167 passengers and 16 crew members when it returned to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport in Australia.

Hours earlier, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner that was traveling from Sydney to Auckland experienced a technical issue that resulted in injuries to 50 passengers.

Boeing referred questions about Friday’s incident to United. 

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On Friday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about concerns over airline safety and the rash of Boeing mishaps. 

“I think what Americans should know is that FAA is doing everything that it can to make sure that Americans feel safe. They are these actions,” she said. “We stand by those actions to make sure that there is increased safety oversight of Boeing. And that’s what the American people should feel reassured by that. The FAA is doing everything that they can to make sure that we get to the bottom of it.”

Fox News Digital’s Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.