A United Airlines Boeing 737 lost an external panel while it was in the air between San Francisco and Oregon on Friday with the airline crew only discovering the part was missing after the plane landed.
The Boeing 737-800 — which departed around 10:40 a.m. as United Airlines flight 433 carrying 139 passengers and six crew members — landed safely over an hour later at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, the New York Post reported. Airport Director Amber Judd told the outlet that after one of the plane’s external panels was found to be missing, the airport’s operations were temporarily halted as it conducted a safety check on the runway.
“After finding no debris on the airfield, normal operations at MFR resumed a few minutes later,” Judd said.
While in flight, there was no indication that the plane had any problem or emergency, the airline said. The plane, which is 25…