A US Airways Boeing 757-200 aircraft (registration number N921UW) lost a panel from the upper surface of its left wing during flight on Saturday, March 22, 2008. After it separated from the wing, the panel struck and cracked a window of the aircraft's passenger cabin, according to a preliminary report about the incident posted today on the FAA website. No one was injured.The aircraft, operating as US Airways Flight USA1250, was en route from Orlando to Philadelphia when the incident occurred. The aircraft was believed to be somewhere over Maryland when the wing panel separated. The flight continued to its destination, where it landed safely. According to various news reports, the aircraft was carrying 174 passengers and a crew of six.
A news story about the incident on the MyFox Washington, DC website said:
Anne Arundel County Fire department Division Chief Michael Cox says a fax from US Airways' security office indicated that the 17.5 square-inch piece of a wing cover might have fallen somewhere in Prince George's or Anne Arundel counties or near Kent Island.The same news story included a photo of the damaged wing. The photo was taken through a window from inside the cabin.
March 22, 2008 was not a good day for US Airways. On the same day as the wing incident, a US Airways pilot's firearm accidentally discharged aboard an Airbus A-319 while the aircraft was in flight. The pilot is a member of the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program.
