United Airlines flight 354, which was on its way from San Francisco to Boston, was diverted to Denver because of a damaged wingPassenger Kevin Clarke said the wing “came apart” when the flight took off and he alerted the crew to the damageAnother passenger on the same flight posted a photo of the wing on Reddit mid-flight, asking if he should be worriedA United Airlines flight traveling from San Francisco to Boston on Monday was diverted to Denver, due to a damaged wing.One of the plane’s passengers, Kevin Clarke, captured video footage of the aircraft’s shredded wing, which his wife, Kimberly Clarke,posted on Facebook.“Just about to land in Denver with the wing coming apart on the plane,” Kevin is heard saying in the video. “It came apart when we took off in San Francisco, and we’re just about on the ground. Can’t wait for this flight to be over.”“They’ve got another plane waiting for us,” he adds. “Touch down any second, and the nightmare will be over.”In the video’s caption, Kimberly wrote, “My husband Kevin’s United Flight from San Francisco to Boston just made an emergency landing in Denver. The wing was coming apart in the air! Everyone is safe thank God.”A representative for the airline confirmed the incident in a statement to PEOPLE.“On Monday, United flight 354 diverted to Denver to address an issue with the slat on the wing of the aircraft,” the spokesperson said. “The flight landed safely and we arranged for a different aircraft to take customers to their destination, which arrived in Boston later that night.“Kevin Clarke/LOCAL NEWS X/TMXAccording toa statement from the Federal Aviation Administration,which is investigating what caused the issue, flight 354 landed at Denver International Airport around 5:15 p.m. local time on Monday, after the crew reported “a possible flap issue.”The plane, a Boeing 757-200, departed San Francisco International Airport and was headed to Boston Logan International Airport.Another one of the plane’s 165 passengers posted a photo of the shredded wingon Redditmid-flight, asking, “What’s happening here?”alantobey/Getty“Sitting right on the wing and the noise after reaching altitude was much louder than normal,” the Reddit user wrote. “I opened the window [shade] to see the wing looking like this. How panicked should I be? Do I need to tell a flight crew member?”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Kevintold NBC Bostonthat the pilot walked near his seat about 45 minutes into the flight to view the damaged wing.“He goes behind me and I was kind of sleepy, so I wasn’t paying much attention at that point, but then he goes back to the cockpit and he comes on the PA and says, ‘We’ve discovered we have some damage on one of the front flaps and we’re going to divert to Denver and put you all in a different plane,'” Clarke said.The wing damage is the latest in a series of recent incidents involving damaged planes causing flight diversions.NTSB via Getty ImagesAn Alaska Airlines flight on aBoeing 737 Max 9 experienced a mid-air blowoutof a plug door in January, forcing an emergency landing in Portland, Ore.Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via GettyABoeing 747 was discovered to have a softball size holein the fuselage, causing an emergency landing in Miami the same month. That plane was an Atlas Air cargo flight.Just a few days later, aDelta Airlines-operated Boeing 757 aircraft’s nose wheel fell offjust before takeoff in Atlanta.The events have led to publicscrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing processesand safety practices.
A United Airlines flight traveling from San Francisco to Boston on Monday was diverted to Denver, due to a damaged wing.
One of the plane’s passengers, Kevin Clarke, captured video footage of the aircraft’s shredded wing, which his wife, Kimberly Clarke,posted on Facebook.
“Just about to land in Denver with the wing coming apart on the plane,” Kevin is heard saying in the video. “It came apart when we took off in San Francisco, and we’re just about on the ground. Can’t wait for this flight to be over.”
“They’ve got another plane waiting for us,” he adds. “Touch down any second, and the nightmare will be over.”
In the video’s caption, Kimberly wrote, “My husband Kevin’s United Flight from San Francisco to Boston just made an emergency landing in Denver. The wing was coming apart in the air! Everyone is safe thank God.”
A representative for the airline confirmed the incident in a statement to PEOPLE.
“On Monday, United flight 354 diverted to Denver to address an issue with the slat on the wing of the aircraft,” the spokesperson said. “The flight landed safely and we arranged for a different aircraft to take customers to their destination, which arrived in Boston later that night.”
Kevin Clarke/LOCAL NEWS X/TMX
According toa statement from the Federal Aviation Administration,which is investigating what caused the issue, flight 354 landed at Denver International Airport around 5:15 p.m. local time on Monday, after the crew reported “a possible flap issue.”
The plane, a Boeing 757-200, departed San Francisco International Airport and was headed to Boston Logan International Airport.
Another one of the plane’s 165 passengers posted a photo of the shredded wingon Redditmid-flight, asking, “What’s happening here?”
alantobey/Getty
“Sitting right on the wing and the noise after reaching altitude was much louder than normal,” the Reddit user wrote. “I opened the window [shade] to see the wing looking like this. How panicked should I be? Do I need to tell a flight crew member?”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Kevintold NBC Bostonthat the pilot walked near his seat about 45 minutes into the flight to view the damaged wing.
“He goes behind me and I was kind of sleepy, so I wasn’t paying much attention at that point, but then he goes back to the cockpit and he comes on the PA and says, ‘We’ve discovered we have some damage on one of the front flaps and we’re going to divert to Denver and put you all in a different plane,'” Clarke said.
The wing damage is the latest in a series of recent incidents involving damaged planes causing flight diversions.
NTSB via Getty Images
An Alaska Airlines flight on aBoeing 737 Max 9 experienced a mid-air blowoutof a plug door in January, forcing an emergency landing in Portland, Ore.
Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty
ABoeing 747 was discovered to have a softball size holein the fuselage, causing an emergency landing in Miami the same month. That plane was an Atlas Air cargo flight.
Just a few days later, aDelta Airlines-operated Boeing 757 aircraft’s nose wheel fell offjust before takeoff in Atlanta.
The events have led to publicscrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing processesand safety practices.
source: people.com
