![](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/03/15/ap24076029732356_custom-5796cc26e81ea340e2de367891ef1ed3f503aeca-s1100-c50.jpg)
A Medford Jet Center employee walks underneath a United Boeing 737-824 that landed at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport from San Francisco with a panel missing Friday in Medford, Oregon.
Andy Atkinson/AP
Hide caption
Caption transition
Andy Atkinson/AP
![](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/03/15/ap24076029732356_custom-5796cc26e81ea340e2de367891ef1ed3f503aeca-s1200.jpg)
A Medford Jet Center employee walks underneath a United Boeing 737-824 that landed at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport from San Francisco with a panel missing Friday in Medford, Oregon.
Andy Atkinson/AP
PORTLAND, Ore. — A post-flight inspection revealed a panel was missing from an older Boeing 737-800 that had just arrived at its southern Oregon destination on Friday after flying from San Francisco, officials said. This is the latest in a series of recent incidents. Includes aircraft manufactured by the company.
United Flight 433 departed San Francisco at 10:20 a.m. and landed at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport in Medford just before noon, according to FlightAware. Airport director Amber Judd said the plane landed safely and unharmed and that an exterior panel was discovered missing during a post-flight inspection. No injuries were reported.
The airport suspended operations to check the runways and airfield for debris, but none was found, Judd said.
![John Barnett, the Boeing whistleblower who raised questions about aircraft quality, has been found dead.](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/03/12/gettyimages-1258352775_sq-5fe8628fae686ae88bee8d95a364ff29f4061d09-s100.jpg)
Judd said he believed the person who discovered the missing panel was a United ground crew member or pilot performing a routine inspection before the next flight.
A United Airlines spokesperson said in an email that the plane had 139 passengers and six crew members on board and that no emergency had been declared because there were no signs of damage during the flight.
“After the aircraft was parked at the gate, an exterior panel was found to be missing,” a United spokesperson said. “We will conduct a thorough inspection and make any necessary repairs before the aircraft returns to service. We will also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred.”
The Federal Aviation Administration also said it would investigate.
![Boeing said no documentation was found on the door plug that flew off in the air.](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/03/09/ap24025783589708_sq-fc69f51304808c4c40c1dccae2d8784b09fa22b9-s100.jpg)
The missing panel was on the underside of the aircraft where the wings meet the body and right next to the landing gear, United said.
According to the FAA, the plane made its first flight in April 1998 and was delivered to Continental Airlines in December of that year. United Airlines has been operating since November 30, 2011. It is the 737-824, part of the 737-800 series, the predecessor of the Max.
Boeing also said in an email that it would defer comment to United about the airline's fleet and operations.
In January, a panel blocking space for additional emergency doors blew a Boeing Max 9 jet midair just minutes after an Alaska Airlines plane took off from Portland, creating a gap and forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing. There were no serious injuries.
![Boeing is not disclosing key details about the door plugs on its Alaska 737 Max 9 jets, the NTSB said.](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/03/06/2024-02-27-jtamayo_boeingrenton_022_sq-c2ce0297e5727d810036736816751e5542701afe-s100.jpg)
The door plug was eventually found in a high school physics teacher's backyard in southwest Portland, along with other debris from the flight scattered nearby. The Ministry of Justice has launched a criminal investigation.
On March 6, smoke was detected in the cabin of a Boeing 737-800 Alaska Airlines flight bound for Phoenix, forcing the pilots to return to Portland Airport.
The Port of Portland said passengers and crew noticed smoke and the plane landed safely. Seven people, including passengers and crew, requested health checks, but no one was hospitalized, officials said.