China News Service, San Francisco, February 20 (Xinhua) According to US media reports, United Airlines said on the 20th local time that a passenger plane of the company flying from San Francisco to Boston was diverted to Denver due to damage to its wing on the 19th.
According to NBC reports, United Airlines stated in an email on the 20th that on the 19th, the company's Flight 354 was diverted to Denver to deal with a "slat issue" on one of the wings. Slats are removable panels at the front of the wing that are used during takeoff and landing. There were 165 passengers on board the Boeing 757-200 aircraft and no injuries were reported.
The Associated Press reported on the 20th that a passenger said he felt the plane shaking and heard violent vibrations. A pilot announced the plane had minor damage to the right wing and that the flight would be rerouted to Denver. Video taken by the passenger showed that some material from the damaged slats was missing.
The plane involved landed in Denver at 17:15 local time on the 19th. United said it arranged for another plane to fly passengers to Boston.
United Airlines did not specify the cause of the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration said on the 20th that it was investigating the accident.
Recently, Boeing has received widespread attention for its aircraft quality control issues. On the evening of January 5, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft made an emergency return to Portland International Airport due to the built-in emergency door falling. On the evening of January 18, an Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 cargo plane made an emergency return to Miami International Airport due to engine failure. (over)