DENVER (KDVR) — Passengers aboard a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Boston made an unexpected stop in Denver on Monday evening after pieces of the wing were found to be broken mid-flight.
“All of a sudden, I heard this incredible metallic vibration I’ve never heard before. I woke right up and I went, ‘What is that?'” said passenger Kevin Clarke.
According to Clarke, the pilot came through the aisle to see the damage for himself. Upon returning to the cockpit, the pilot informed passengers that the aircraft was being diverted to Denver.
Clarke, a play-by-play announcer for World Pro Ski Tour, had a window seat on the right side of the plane in front of the wing. He began recording videos of the damage and narrating his experience.
“It was only 20 minutes later we were in the most violent turbulence I can imagine. Now I’m panicked. I’m like, ‘Well, this isn’t good.’ The wing is partially coming apart, it was shaking so hard I just can’t believe it. I was like, ‘OK, is this the day?'” Clarke said.
The plane landed safely in Denver at 5:21 p.m., according to United. Crews immediately began inspecting the damaged wing slat, which the carrier identified as the issue.
United moved passengers to a different plane to continue to Boston Logan International Airport.
United plane suffers wing damage mid-flight
A plane’s wing slats, according to an expert, are crucial to the function of the aircraft.
“It just creates more lift and helps them to land the aircraft at a slower speed while not jeopardizing safety,” said Kevin Kuhlmann, chair of the Aviation and Aerospace Division at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Kuhlmann, however, said the damage seen on the slat did not appear to pose a great enough threat to warrant an immediate grounding.
“There didn’t seem to be any disruption to the airflow. The aircraft seemed to have flown normally,” he said.
Kuhlmann said he believed a bird strike was likely responsible for the damage but added that pilots train regularly for bird strikes and other odd situations that may happen mid-air — though not necessarily the exact scenario that unfolded Monday.
He also said it’s possible the pilot chose to land in Denver rather than another nearby airport because United has more maintenance crews and resources available to handle the situation there.
Clarke said he had to trust in the pilot’s expertise.
“If the pilot felt that plane was safe to fly and the people I talked to said it was safe to fly, I said, well, we’re in his hands, and he wants to get home as bad as we all do,” Clarke said.
The FAA is investigating Monday’s incident.
