United flight out of SF makes emergency landing due to damaged wing
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- United Airlines says a flight heading from San Francisco to Boston Monday had to be diverted after the plane suffered damage to one of its wings. Scott Budman reports.
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It’s not a flap and there’s no damage to the wing. It’s a leading edge slat. Only a small portion. Probably a bird strike. Happens often.
yup and the wing wasn't "falling apart", ffs, some fiberglass was chipped away
@@whyno713 Obvious multiple bird strike issue, that did NOT make the plane unsafe for the short term.
Long term, the damage to the slat probably WOULD have eventually had it falling apart.
Most people aren't going to know what a Slat is.
.@@johnmarks714They can do what I did; look it up in a dictionary or on Google.
Who are you and do you fly a BarcaLounger?
Speaking as a pilot that is definitely an impact. It will be thoroughly investigated and was not a danger to the flight.
Inboard slat. Maybe hit some ducks or a drone. If so, very lucky it didn't go in the engine.
Agree, birds usually leave something behind like blood or bits of flesh not seeing that here, I wouldn’t rule out drone or something else either. At least it missed the engine whatever it was
If you think it’s not a danger, I’m glad that you’re not my pilot.
@@nrakmaOr maybe you should listen to someone who had to learn extensively about aerodynamics before being certified as a pilot, and not based on your uneducated ignorant “hunches” about what is safe and what is not. Coming to you as a pilot AND someone with a background in engineering and physics, that damage did not change the shape of the airfoil dramatically to the point it would pose danger to the safety of flight. Airfoil is the cutout shape of a wing in which the air flows. Hope you learned something, BUDDY.
@@FlyBoyMT👍😊
Even though chunks of it is missing, it is a leading edge slat, and does not pose an extreme danger/risk in flight because it has not changed the shape of the airfoil dramatically. The airfoil is the cutout shape of a wing in the direction which the air flows. The rest of the wing’s shape is intact and airflow is not disrupted drastically to the point where that wing is losing lift. Which is why non-aviators and the general public need to put in the slightest bit of effort to learn about the basics of aerodynamics so they don’t panic about every little thing.
It was United flight 354, landed in Colorado at about 5:36 p.m., passengers changed planes and got into Boston at 2:45 a.m. Tuesday.
K whatever laini was taking pictures with a guy that took the time to make a I hate SF video the same city he met her in , and watched an A Asian celebite girl put her head through a wall. Drop out of USFCA and USC and leave the country
@@DCc-s1q WOW! Your comment clarified everything. Thanks for being so helpful.
That is an excellent pilot and crew. It is "just another day at their office" for pilots and air crew. Job well done by the crew and company.
This is not a Boeing issue, this is one of UA's oldest planes.
@@phillipbanes5484 It's a Boeing 737-800, though ... according to flightaware ...
@@phillipbanes5484 To any aircraft made of paper ...
Sell sell sell
@@laurentiutrifan8173It wasn’t a 737 it was a 757-200.
Boeing has nothing to do with this. It’s just a plane turning around due to a bird strike
Ice or bird impact damage... (or the wing was made out of pasta and it cooked too long)
😂😂😂😂
This is a long proven and dependable aircraft. Whatever happened here, it isn’t a Boeing failure. Those marks on the leading edge of the wing look like something might have hit there before the slats were extended for landing.
Probably a pair of birds.
The emergency landing was just a precaution. The leading edge is not part of the structure of the wing it provides surface area on takeoff and landing for life the friction to slow the plane down. No one was in any immediate danger even if the piece came off the plane would still be flying around. In my opinion 757 was and is fantastic engineered aircraft.
Tictok says plans don’t need wings.
I saw this last night (2/20/2024) on my local news here in Denver. Glad it wasn't too serious!
Not a single word what kind of airplane ✈️
Boeing 757-200, not 737 Max
That is because the type is not an important factor; a bird strike causing damage could happen to any aircraft.
Yeah, I wouldn't be concerned either if the pilot comes out of the cockpit and is peering out the windows in the cabin section.
It appears that the slat had a delamination and water got in and froze at altitude and popped the laminations open and they blew off the slat. Concerning yes, but not really a worry of it causing a crash.
Finally. The smartest answer I've seen so far.
slightly better than a bird strike @@xtm123 but it does create some uncomfortable questions (like who signed off on the last time those slats were visually inspected and I'm not talking about when the captain does his/her walk around prior to each departure...)
@@tehpw7574 Honey comb structures that have water ingression can look normal on a general visual inspection. You actually have to do a tap test or perform a thermograph scan to see if water has gotten inside or delamed the structure. Normally these would be performed at a heavy maintenance visit. When and where this aircraft had a heavy maintenance check would be good question to ask.
As an aircraft structures mechanic for my entire adult life, I have seen this many, many times. I have seen parts blow off due to water freezing inside honeycomb panels. Besides the affected panel, those parts can hit other parts of the aircraft and cause severe damage. I once worked an aircraft where a wing tip was popped off and it spun back and damaged the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Another lost a portion of its leading edge and that ruptured hydraulic lines and the airflow caused severe vibration of the wing. This pilot was right to get the aircraft on the ground ASAP.
If this was the reason then why do we see the wing skin behind the slat wrinkled? I think impact damage
we're all lucky that in all the flight including JAL60, nobody was seriously injured, its just a miracle
What is that wing made out of?
Cardboard
made from cheapest/lightest possible materials, you can guarantee that
I don't know about airplanes very well, but I thought an airplane wing is made out of a sheet metal. That looks like a crushed car went thru a collision shop. Is an airplane wing supposed to made out of a sheet metal or cardboard?
I know nothing about how it is fabricated, materials wise, but it sure looks weak. It did take a big hit, apparently, so the material was not a total failure. Sure joke worthy though, in light of all that has happened with Boeing of late. @@fromisheon4867
@@fromisheon4867That's not part of the wing it's actually part of the extending front flap which retracts over the wing when it's not in use and is extended for takeoff and landings to allow for greater wing surface area so that they can fly slower and still have lift. That whole thing could be gone and the plane could still land.
Because it's not structural it doesn't have to be out of aircraft aluminum it can just be out of fiberglass.
As an aircraft structures mechanic for my entire adult life, I have seen this many, many times. Anything could have caused that damage, but I have seen parts blow off due to water freezing inside honeycomb panels. Besides the affected panel, those parts can hit other parts of the aircraft and cause severe damage. I once worked an aircraft where a wing tip was popped off due to water freezing in the honeycomb and it spun back and damaged the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Another lost a portion of its leading edge and that ruptured hydraulic lines and the airflow caused severe vibration of the wing. This pilot was right to get this aircraft on the ground ASAP.
That can be buffed right out.
I wonder how old the plane is
29.2 years so nearly 30 years old
That looks like a leading edge slat, a piece not part of the wing structure. It is extended downwards and frontwards to allow the plane to fly slower without stalling while taking off and landing. It looks like something hit it while it was retracted, putting holes in it and damaging the wing under it at the same time, while the plane was parked at the gate. Like a forklift or cargo loader. It's probably more of a failure to inspect than a maintenance issue. But it may have occurred after inspection but before taking off.
In the entire video only one person explained what happened in a smart way, usually the pax that takes out the cellphone to record doesn't even know his own name... that's not a wing dummy! that is call a slant, and is completely normal that the non flying pilot goes out of the flight deck to visually inspect... also pilots are trained for that, media needs to use their common sense on who the interview, this guy is not the best person to explained what happened.
I’m a Boeing 737/757/777 pilot with 25 years of experience and I can confidently state that there was definitely a gremlin on that wing. If the plane hadn’t landed immediately, William Shatner would have had an awful day.
Nightmare??? Give me a break . . .
Some "expert" talks about the integrity of the wing.
If the slats are damaged, the other wing creates more lift.
This is exactly what caused the ElAl 747 to crash in Amsterdam. The engineless wing had severely damaged slats. As soon as the pilot extended the slats, the 747 flipped over and crashed. Extremely dangerous what happened with this United flight.
Also speaking as a corporate pilot, the wing is clearly NOT "coming apart". A bird strike perhaps, happens every day. Scary for a passenger to witness I'm sure but if you fly a jet of any kind, you're bound to hit a bird or two throughout your career. I've had 3 separate bird strike occurrences, one which flamed out one of our engines but landed safely with all. Happy flying everyone!!
Reporters: Aaaaaa!! Passengers cheated death!! The wing almost fell off!! Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!🤡🤦♂️
I looked up the flight. This flight was flown by a 757-200. This aircraft was designed in the late 1970s and was approved for flight in 1982. (Back when Boeing was good). The slat is made from carbon fibre, which had been used in aircraft before.
likely bird goose duck strike
the maintenance must be pretty shitty
Thank you, you researched this better than the professional reporters.
That is what I was thinking. Looks like some wrinkling to the leading edge of the wing behind the slat as well. @@lutomson3496
@@delilah28100
maintenance has nothing to do with a bird strike.
learn basic engineering before making an ignorant comment.
Dang whats that wing made out of cardboard?
fiberglass. that's what happens when you collide with a bird traveling hundreds of miles per hour.
That's the right slat which most likely suffered a bird strike. And I doubt if that was anything more than a "safety landing".
Which united airlines plane, make and model?
I hope the passengers will be okay.
Except for the passengers getting explosive diarrhea from the airline food.
People, that plane left the factory like 25-30+ years ago, it has nothing to do with Boeing. It's an airline maintenance related issue, or the plane could have simply hit something like a bird or drone
The news over exaggerating... Is there anything new????
How did SFO maintenance not pick up on this?
The pilots themselves do a walk around inspection to double check everything before each flight, so it most likely happened in the air. ....Bird strike would be my best guess, but who knows.
it happened when airborne.. maybe hit a bird or debris or baloon, etc…
The flaps retract into/onto the wing to the top so a walk around wouldn't have been seen. More than likely it was fine on the ground and it happened after taking off on that flight.
@@randallsmerna384 It wasn't one of the flaps.
The passenger mentioned hearing some noised during the flight.
Probably was fine before the takeoff.
And yes, that was a SLAT not a FLAP - similar function, but on the leading edge of the wing not the trailing edge and functions a little differently.
I remember when the C172 at the local flight school hit a bird and made a big dent in the leading edge of the wing. I don’t recall seeing any blood or feathers on the wing.
45 minutes into the flight though, wouldn’t the plane be well over 10k feet? I know some birds do fly that high but that is even a bit high for a drone (talking about hobby drones,, not commercial/govt stuff). Hope we learn more details.
Way to hyperbolize, news anchor.
Any time you see the captain or copilot walking through the passenger section is always a good sign.
its always a bad sign
I was confused at first when he said the pilot looked at the wing. I was wondering where the side-view mirrors are
There is a long stick in the cockpit with a mirror on the end of it.
The Pilot just sticks the stick out the cockpit window during flight to check the wings.
@@ogcowboy5743😂
@@ogcowboy5743 OMG---------------remind me never to fly again ! ! !
No wonder my flights have been delayed after delay after delay.
Boeing is having quite a streak
This was a 757-200 from 1994.
@@michaelbujaki2462 Yep, and this isn't the case of bolts missing, or Boeing hiding a new flight system from the pilots & customers. Most likely some kind of strike damage, and structurally everything stayed together.
@@michaelbujaki2462 The general public will really only see Boeing's name next to the incident, unfortunately
The 757 is one of the safest aircraft ever made.
This was impact damage most likely a bird strike, so not a Boeing issue
Scary was the Tokyo Airbus incident not this!.
How can they miss this one before take off just scary
Hardly scary ...
What happened to the falange?
Forward slat. Not the wing itself. Not a big
No preflight check?
The leading edge slot is made of reinforced cardboard to cut costs and is subject to termite damage?
it’s fiberglass.
do you have ANY IDEA how much MOMENTUM is involved when you have an aircraft traveling at 75-85% the speed of sound, hit a bird?
even STEEL won’t get away unscathed with that much inertial force involved.
next time you make an ignorant comment, make sure you know some basic engineering first.
he got phD from youtube 😆😆
You did not mention what model airplane is it... It's a BOEING 757-200...
it wasn't mentioned because its irrelevant. its obvious that a bird strike happened, and would have damaged any aircraft of any brand in this manner.
you youtube comment aviation engineers need to chill out
It's a 30 year old plane the very late issues of the MD merger have nothing to do with this
They are getting closer to the goal. 🛩️💥
Pilot: is that my airplane wing😂?
it's not like the door flew off or something..
What, no ubiquitous 'I though I was going to die' comments from passengers?
If it's Boeing, I aint going.
if youre casually talking during an emergency landing... that isnt a "nightmare" lol
This plane is currently in storage in Denver.
It is scary.
They should put cameras on the wings for constant inspection
They landed “safely “. Of course they did. Or we’d be watching a completely different story.
That isn't a damaged wing its a damaged right slat. That plane was not in any danger but it sure looks scary.
Bird strike. Soft enough to not scratch the paint, and hard enough to dent the sheet metal behind the slat.
Gettin kind of tired of another round of "the FAA says it plans to investigate..." What kind of plane was this?
pretty sure its a 757
This is run of the mill stuff. I'm surprised airplanes don't hit more shit that's kicked up by their powerful engines or flying around in the skies.
It is a 757. A very solid and reliable aircraft. It appears as though two or maybe three birds hit the leading edge while at cruise when the slats were still up. At 500mph a bird can do serious damage. At least they didn’t end up in the engine. In any case, not Boeing’s fault this time.
Mostly likely a bird strike but also a good possibility it was a drone/rc craft. Definitely hit something.
Something got caught under the slat. It's not a problem.
It almost looks like a drone hit the wing?
COULD BE!
DEFINITELY looks like some sort of impact...
How in the hell did they do that to the slats?
bird strike. happens all the time. i have no idea how ya'll don't understand this.
@@BabySkinCondom I didn’t realize they were composite. I assumed they were aluminum. Makes sense when you know they are plastic.
@@cosmicinsane516 the wings are aluminum, not the slats. the purpose of the slats is to manipulate the aerodynamics so the wings can get more lift at slower speed, or something like that- they don't contribute to the structural integrity so they can just be fiberglass.
@@BabySkinCondom Yes I’m familiar with the purpose of leading edge slats, I just didn’t know they weren’t aluminum like the rest of the wing and flaps.
Hmmm former United engineers have said that they cannot use the de-icing equipment on the wings for more than five minutes, otherwise it will jeopardize the integrity and the strength of the wing….did anybody report this? Why is that engineers claim being hidden?
Looks like Boeing is going to have to recall the paper mache material used in the wings.
its 33% recycled post consumer cardboard hahaha
Yeah and maybe stop using McKinsey as their thought partner ..
Actually it is honeycomb and fiberglas with serious delamination maybe caused by a strike of some kind. Don’t be surprised to find out that mechanics were standing on this area during work of some kind even though the area has markings to not stand on this area.
do you have ANY IDEA how much MOMENTUM is involved when you have an aircraft traveling at 75-85% the speed of sound, hit a bird?
even STEEL won’t get away unscathed with that much inertial force involved.
next time you make an asinine comment, make sure you know some basic engineering first.
That’s a 757-200 delivered in 1994, it means that it is almost 30 years old. It is a bird-strike of some sort or a maintenance issue.
Looks like a drone strike as opposed to bird with the jagged signature
Those puts on Boeing are cooking.
This plane is 30 years old.
No silly speculation please. Wait until @Blancolirio uploads his vid describing the facts.
😂🤣
Is the slat made out of cardboard and tissue paper?
Fiberglass. This plane was approved for passenger use in 1982.
@@R.BOWERS
Yeah, not so sure. Carbon fiber would take on a different look when damaged.
it's an easy to replace part...if you have the spares but considering the damage behind the fiberglass, structurally something is going on....normally i would say that looks like bird strike damage but there is no trace of a bird and given the time of the year is it deicing/ice damage? it's not a good sign to see skin ripple over the wing ribs.
Why are the news so afraid to mention the aircraft type and manufacturer name!? We all know it's a Boeing plane! What's the fear?
This sort of OBVIOUS bird strike damage could have happened to ANY aircraft - and HAS.
Be happy it wasn't the ENGINES this time.
@@bricefleckenstein9666 It doesn't matter! They're intentionally not saying the aircraft type to hide the fact that it's a BOEING.
@@philhenderson3516 IT does not MATTER what brand the aircraft is.
Airbus or Bombardier or ANY OTHER BRAND would have been affected the same way.
Why are YOU so intent on blaming Boeing for an issue that would have affected ANY brand similarly?
"If it's Boeing i'm not going" we used to say
Looks like impact damage to me, considering the jagged edges of damaged slat as well as less significant but telling damage on the wing itself. I infer from these that a reasonably sized chunk of some debris rose up from the ground, impacting and damaging these surfaces before continuing on its trajectory.
it was almost certainly a bird strike
What ever the cause it looks like impact damage to my eyes, I know a few people think it was delamination from water freezing inside the slat.
...and now for something completely different
This is why Boeing should focus on other aircraft like updating the 757.
It’s a slat folks, nothing to freak out about.
I wonder how old is that plane
29.2 years
Typical NBC news story making a big deal out of nothing.
Great pilot
Any goose feathers stuck in there?
They are on the move this time of year.
Guessing some mechanic stepped on a No Step area...
Its a damaged leading edge slat, the composite wedge has broken apart. It may have had water in it and was frozen during high altitude, causing cracking. Likely due to poor maintenance. The wedge is fairly easy to remove and replace.
FAR more likely a 2-3 bird strike issue, when you bother to LOOK at the pattern of the damage and the additional damage to the wing behind the slat.
Bird strike leaves residues, blood ?!!!
@@humbertomonteiro6742 sometimes, not always.
@@humbertomonteiro6742 Hundreds of miles per hour winds tend to scour those off.
No. The wing did NOT start to fall apart.
Wonder who writes the scripts for these anchors.
Little bit of speed tape fix it….
That gremlin thing chewed it up probably.
Not scary at all. Have had worse and seen worse damage and was still safe.
How good is aircraft maintenance in the USA? We know there are issues in the control tower mostly attributed to human error, how about this?
Wings? Now you want functional wings? You’re all so entitled.😢
tbh it looks minor and not a real hazard. but there have been too many incidents recently.
Leading edge in aluminum, the part that is broken up is composite material that os used to make a smooth transition to the wing itself. It's used in this area for ease of cost with manufacturing vs a narrowed area made of aluminum. A bird strike during takeoff and landing very common, a little rippling aft of damaged area further indicates a bird. No big deal.
It’s not falling apart get you4 story right lady ….! 😂. It was a damaged LEADING EDGE SLAT…….NO BIG DEAL., ! 😊
That's really no big deal on that particular item but it is strange how something like that could get damaged. Perhaps they hit a bird?🤷♂️
More likely 2-3 birds in a flock, from the pattern of the damage.
"Pilots train for just this type of a thing".. I am pretty sure the basic SOP is to divert. I dont think the pilots are "trained" to deal with damaged slats per se. Only if they have flight controls problem, can the issue be really recreated in a simulator to a degree.
Just great my flight is with United this week!
Will you quiver the entire trip?
@@RLTtizME No, I'm sure everything will be ok.
@@Zman556 LOL...are you positive?
Birds don't target specific airlines
Yikes.
Salt over time has been known to deteriorate aluminum alloys to a paper thin material . Salt comes from flying over the ocean . ✈️
And over kitchens.
Buuuut, that slat was made of fiberglass. Probable bird strike. 😊
Ever boil salt water Einstein? The salt STAYS in the water...just as it does in the ocean. That's why here in Florida, the cars are all rusted out...oh wait, they're not. The paint and headlights are sun damaged like crazy, but no salt bruh.
@@purplesprigs an engineer with American Airlines told be bro boy
People panic over nothing.
is the wing made of cardboard box?