The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation after a Delta Air Lines plane had part of one of its wings detach mid-flight this week.
The scary incident occurred aboard a Boeing 737 during a flight from Orlando, Florida, to Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, August 19.
Delta confirmed the incident in a statement to USA Today, acknowledging that Delta flight 1893 completed its trip, landing in Austin with “a portion of the left wing’s flap…not in place.”
“We apologize to our customers for their experience, as nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers,” the airline added.
The plane was carrying 62 passengers and six crew members. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The aircraft was subsequently taken out of operation for maintenance.
Passenger Shanila Arif, who captured video of the left wing, told news outlets that there was bad turbulence and passengers first noticed the damage shortly after takeoff, before the plane reached cruising altitude.
“While the plane was at an altitude of approximately 12,000 feet, we noticed that a part of the wing had broken and was visibly detached,” she told KXAN.
The incident comes less than two weeks after a pair of Delta planes clipped wings at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
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