Delta Airlines Plane Loses Wing Access Panel Midflight, Lands Safely
Passengers and crew travelling inside a Delta Airlines flight from Orlando to Atlanta had a few anxious moments when one of the plane’s wing access panels got dislodged midflight. The Delta Airlines Flight 2412 with 179 passengers and six crew members landed safely at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport following the dislodgement, CNN reports. The plane was a Boeing 757-232, delivered in 1992. It bore registration number N675DL.
Delta Airlines spokesperson Anthony Black called the incident “highly unusual” while adding that the problem was a minor one and that the dislodgement did not affect the “plane’s ability to fly or operable change in flight.” After the aircraft landed at Atlanta, it was inspected by FAA officials, reports AVHerald
As the norm is, there were people aboard who managed to grab photographs of the damage to the wing. The photograph above was captured by David Watterson, who was aboard the flight. According to him, just as he was dozing off midflight, he heard a big boom. Following this, he observed that a large section of the plane’s wing was exposed and there was hydraulic fuel leaking. He added that all the passengers inside the aircraft remained calm but were at the same time concerned to see a “big chunk of the plane missing”. He was all praise for the onboard crew members who according to him handled the situation professionally.
The incident with Delta Airlines Flight 2412 is the latest in a string of aviation related mishaps being reported over the course of the past week. It started with the mystery regarding the fate of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 270 which to date, remains missing ever since its disappearance on March 8. Speculation is rife on what could have happened to the passengers and crew of that ill-fated flight.
This was followed by the aborted takeoff by US Airways Flight 1702 at Philadelphia that injured 2 passengers. The takeoff was aborted due to a tire burst following which the aircraft suffered a nose collapse. Images and videos from this crash were widely posted on various social networking websites including a selfie taken by a passenger that went viral.
Further details regarding the reasons behind the dislodging of the wing access panel on Flight 2412 would only be ascertained once officials complete the investigation.
Image Via David Watterson
