Posted on 02/20/2024 8:22:35 PM PST by libh8er
NEW YORK (AP) — A United Airlines cross-country flight was cut short and the jetliner landed in Denver after one of its wings was damaged.
A passenger on the San Francisco-to-Boston flight Monday said he had just put in earbuds and started to doze off when he felt the plane shaking.
“All of a sudden I heard this violent vibration like I had never heard before,” Kevin Clarke said in an interview Tuesday.
Clarke said one of the pilots walked down the aisle of the main cabin, then returned to the cockpit and announced that the plane had minor damage to its right wing and the flight would be diverted to Denver.
Clarke opened his window shade and took video of the damage that was later broadcast on Boston 25 News. The 67-year-old, a ski-race announcer from Maine, was comforted that the pilot believed the plane was good enough to fly, but he began having doubts when the jet hit turbulence.
I was just going to pray that we made it to the other side of the turbulence,” he said.
United said the Boeing 757-200 carrying 165 passengers landed in Denver to “address an issue with the slat” on one of its wings. Slats are moveable panels on the front or leading edge of the wing and are used during takeoffs and landings. Chicago-based United did not say what caused the damage which left pieces of the slat torn away.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that it is investigating the incident.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.com ...
16 million commercial flights take off worldwide every year. I would imagine a fair number of them get hit by birds. I have never seen anything like that, especially where a flight had to return due to damage to its wing. Would be in the news if it did. Or maybe I missed it.
I’m surprised this hit the Seattle Times as Boeing is big up here with plants all aver western Washington and they are highly protected by the government and the media.
wy69
Looks like a new "DEI" employee, "de-iced" the wing with a hammer....
LOL!
Judging by the deformation in the wing root, they may have picked up some debris from the runway that lodged under the slat when the slats were retracted. It was a matter of time before the slat shredded itself.
The pilot was correct that the plane was “good enough to fly”. Had this damage occurred on the outboard slat, that may not have been the case.
EC
ISWYDT
Boeing, the hits keep coming.
I feel like all these issues out there at the airlines is building up to some kind of catastrophic event. Hope I’m wrong
A few bolts musta shook loose and hit some cows.
United not looking good these days
flying is just so patriarchal
Is Boeing being sabotaged? This was never a weekly event.
As I am soon to be retired and life becomes one big vacation (according to my wife), I cannot think of any reason to fly to anyplace in the lower 48. The thought of an affirmative action mechanic working on a plane is chilling.
My Tahoe is large enough for us to hold multiple weeks of necessities as we drive to interesting destinations. BTW these destinations will not include anyplace or state run by the communists.
“ Judging by the deformation in the wing root, they may have picked up some debris from the runway that lodged under the slat when the slats were retracted”
Interesting you say that. I thought of it as a possibility too, ala Air France 4590 (Concorde that crashed). Maybe the nose wheel went over something and sent it flying toward the slat but there is no precedent for such a thing happening in the US. Our maintenance standards are higher than in other countries, or at least have been up until now. But when you consider all the recent problems plaguing Boeing and United I am leaning toward some diversity/ DEI connection.
“If you see the pilot walking down the aisle…”
It’s better than seeing him floating down the aisle.
I wonder if it is a delamination... that would be a significant cause for concern fleetwide for all carriers using that airframe.
“Goose died in 86 during ejection…”
I like me some of that Gray Goose - Fani
True.
Boeing 757s are at least 20 years old. I've seen a couple passenger interviews and it sounds like a bird strike or FOD as someone suggested. I would think the NTSB will have a preliminary report out soon..
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