United Flight Loses Exterior Panel Midair; Latest in String of Boeing Mishaps

A United Airlines Boeing 737-800 lost an external panel during a flight from San Francisco to Oregon on Friday. The plane landed safely.

The missing panel was discovered once the plane reached the gate in Oregon, halting airport operations briefly. The panel was not located.

The flight had 139 passengers and 6 crew members on board. No emergency was declared and no issues were reported during the flight.

This is the 7th incident involving a Boeing aircraft in the past two weeks, including emergency landings and injuries.

Boeing is now implementing additional checks and audits to address quality problems.