It’s definitely not good to travel on a Boeing these days. Loss of door, crack in the cockpit, engine on fire… the American manufacturer has had a series of accidents at the start of the year. On Monday, passengers on the United Airlines Boeing 757-200 flying from San Francisco to Boston experienced a nightmare situation when part of the plane’s wing broke off in mid-flight.
It was a passenger who was the first to become aware of the problem. The wing reportedly began to disintegrate after the plane took off from San Francisco. The traveler, a man named Kevin Clarke, then rushed to post a photo of the torn wing and posted it on the Reedit social network. “How panicked should I be? Should I inform a member of the flight crew?” he asked. Faced with the seriousness of the incident, he ended up alerting the crew, who made the decision to divert the plane to land at the nearest airport, Denver.
Also read: Bankruptcy, temporary nationalization… Can Boeing escape the worst-case scenario?
Kevin Clarke’s testimony for the American media WCVB could not be more anxiety-inducing. The passenger says he heard “an incredibly loud vibration” immediately after takeoff. This suspicious noise would have immediately “concerned” him. Through his flair, Kevin Clark proved to be more perceptive than the pilot himself, since the latter waited nearly 45 minutes of flight to observe the damage and announce the news to the 165 passengers.
The plane ended up landing normally in Denver, around 5:15 p.m. In an official statement, United Airlines explained that the flight had been diverted to Denver “to resolve an issue with the slat on the wing of the plane.” “We have arranged for another plane to take our customers to Boston,” the company added. The passengers did not hide their dissatisfaction. “I’m about to land in Denver with the plane’s wing falling apart. I can’t wait for this flight to end,” said Kevin Clarke. Were the passengers on the flight compensated for the damage caused? One thing is certain: the episode should not reassure flying phobics.