“Part of airplane fell off the right wing”. United Airbus A319 loses part Mid Air. Real ATC

[@daveschaaf6067]

I was on the flight on Thursday night out of DFW. Plane definitely took a dip to the left out of the blue which was probably the part coming off. Recovered very quickly. The Pilot and attendants were calm and very professional. First class job done by the crew. United had us on the way to Denver in about 90 minutes after getting back to the gate. The most interesting part of the whole first flight was the parade of fire engines and ambulances following us back to the gate. It was quite the parade.

[@wtfudc]

@@daveschaaf6067 nothing fell out. It was already removed on the ground. Read the latest comment.

[@Texas40years]

I can't get over that ATC kept asking for specifics on what fell off the airplane. The pilots probably aren't able to look over their right shoulder and see the wing. They're busy keeping it in the air.

[@yaosio]

I'd like to make it clear that it's not normal for parts to fall off of airplanes.

[@deirdredunbar5282]

I was flying out of DFW years ago and our flight has a delayed boarding. My brother who was flying with me saw the Snapped on Tools work van pull up to our airplane. My brother looked at me and said- "nope. not going. Snapped on Tools is working on our flight."

[@andy_in_colorado7060]

I'm not sure I'd like it very much if stuff fell off my airplane. It seems suboptimal.

[@thesaneparty4079]

I took the first flight out of Dallas on southwest to Vegas, sitting in the back left. We took off with this fairing missing on the left side and flew to Vegas without incident. That screw-drive mechanism that moves the flap was exposed to 500+ mph winds the whole way. I assumed it was known, but when we landed the amount of people scratching their heads looking up at the wing told me they had no idea.

[@RobMiami787]

I love this channel I'm always surprised at what seems to me A lot of extra chatter and Pilots repeated info.

[@wizerdjuice9589]

Great crew and ATC.

[@DeweyCheatumNHoweLLC]

So that's what that is in my front yard.

[@ej2953]

If it landed on your roof, your HOA would shortly be issuing a fine for illegal roof repair.

[@DeweyCheatumNHoweLLC]

@@ej2953 Unauthorized lawn decoration as well.

[@JohnLemieux]

Donnie Darko is that you?

[@johnmknox]

It is probably somewhere along the West Fork Trinity River in that general area south of Haltom City.

[@teamscrew]

How does that happen? Maintenance failure or just wore out?

[@lrx54]

Gosh, this is maybe the 7th aircraft that could have benefitted from outside cameras

[@angelorobel12]

7th aircraft from United?

[@jonchowe]

How many times does he need to say flap track fairing before they get it?

[@malahammer]

Who?

[@joemeyer6876]

It’s called a canoe.

[@walterappling6230]

“Flap track fairing” is something of a tongue-twister, so they’re testing him.

[@jonchowe]

@@walterappling6230 "we have smoke in the sea shell cellar, sir. Should sub system switches set- sh!t!"

[@cathyvanasse4886]

Lots of parts randomly falling off planes lately.

[@hiscifi2986]

Please mister can we have our Flap Track back...?

[@clqudy4750]

Send UAL some bumper stickers: "Honk if parts fall off!"

[@msjdb723]

😂

[@Sumtoshi]

You declare an emergency, there is no line up. You’re priority.

[@327Erich]

There is if you need time to run your checklists, burn off some fuel, and configure the aircraft for an overweight landing.

[@cheeseburger3072]

Duct tape, where's the duct tape?

[@ReneChewbaka]

@@cheeseburger3072 speed tape

[@alexe1707]

I think I had that Capt last week

[@TheShowblox]

Not entirely sure, but depending on if I got the registration right, this might have been the plane me and my family flew on a few months ago.

[@hgbugalou]

Yeah I was trying to find the tail number. I was on a united a319 last month and we had to sit on the tarmac for 30 minutes because of some issue on one of the wings, but they got it fixed and everything went normal.

[@_dIIJAY]

Imagine how the regular passenger freaks out in the airplane due EM situation, while pilots and ATCs hear and deal with this shit on a daily base. My fuckin airplane broke in half, in one half in fire and in the other half a wild shark appeared? K, I decent at my descretion to 9k and run a checklist. Sounds strange, but true.

[@jillcrowe2626]

Unbelievable. Material falling off the airplane is just not acceptable.

[@EdOeuna]

Scare-bus

[@barryo5158]

Ouch!

[@Matt-mo8sl]

"Daddy, the top came off." "No shit."

[@ReneChewbaka]

If you declare an emergency it moves you to the front of the line. Why would ATC even ask?

[@GH-oi2jf]

The captain did not say he needed to get down immediately. He later said there was no urgency. He probably has checklists to run. He just wants to land as soon as he is ready.

[@jamescollier3]

ATC could stick them in a line of 5 or 6, Or send around 3 or 4 or make them do circles. this was there was no distribution

[@jamescollier3]

ATC could stick them in a line of 5 or 6, Or send around 3 or 4 or make them do circles. this was there was no distribution

[@m00nie_m00n]

They might need time for checklists, burn some fuel, lose some altitude or plenty of other reasons...

[@cruisinguy6024]

declaring an emergency by no means indicates they're ready to land right away, and even if they are that doesn't always mean everyone needs to be moved out of the way

[@wtfudc]

Fuel truck hit the fairing on the ground. Left a hole on the canoe fairing. Maintenance removed it and filed paperwork to allow it to continue the next flight **LEGALLY**. Plane took off and passenger noticed and mistakenly reported to the crew the fairing fell out of the plane mid air. It was in fact removed on the ground. Sorry nothing fell out mid flight.

[@se-kmg355]

If that is true than the Captain is in some trouble.

[@cruisinguy6024]

@@se-kmg355 I'm not sure if you realize this but the Captain actually is *not* the same as maintenance personnel. If maintenance signed off on their work it's on them not the flight crew. Additionally, the flap fairing isn't even needed for flight it's just for aerodynamics however it falling off in flight is cause to land.

[@se-kmg355]

@@cruisinguy6024 You do realize that the Captain is responsible for the aircraft. If the maintenance signed it off, it is in the tech log, and also it should have been spotted during walk around. So if what OP is suggesting, the crew should already be aware of the missing fairing. If they weren't, someone did not do their job correctly.

[@cruisinguy6024]

​@@se-kmg355 it's not the captain's job to call out a ladder or lift truck and a tool box so he can disassemble the aircraft to ensure maintenance did their job correctly. That's beyond his scope of responsibility and expertise. Lots of issues like this happen that are not visible on a walk around. Another example is a poor window replacement that causes the window to blow out as the aircraft pressurizes; there's no way for the pilots to inspect the maintainer's work - not that they'd even know what to look for anyway.

[@se-kmg355]

@@cruisinguy6024 You are not reading correctly. It is the PIC responsibility to keep up with the state of the aircraft using any information presented. If what is stated by the OP is true, the missing fairing should already been known to the crew, if the tech log was reviewed and there would have not been an issue. I do not know what you are rambling on that the pilots should commence maintenance on the aircraft, they are not authorized to do so.

[@someoneelse9271]

Boeing!!!!😁

[@angelorobel12]

Not buying with that joke. This wasn't a Boeing jet.

[@christianmiller1723]

Come on, it hasn't been like this for years. It's either MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY or PAN PAN or not an emergency at all. This causes confusion when not done correctly.

[@Blast6926]

Boring, get a life

[@se-kmg355]

My favorite, "You are an emergency, but are you urgent?"

[@eltomas3634]

It is a developing situation. He does not have all the information yet so he isn't quite sure, there is an investigation. It's not a good idea to immediately declare an emergency because a passenger reported they think something fell off. Once the investigation is done, an emergency is declared if necessary. It would be real nice to have a complete picture of everything all at once, but real life doesn't happen that way most of the time.

[@iceman9678]

Airbus fanbois will defend and blame Boeing.

[@aY227]

Well, at least front didn't fell of

[@seth_alapod]

The front fell off

[@cyberentomology]

I’d like to point out that this is not normal.

[@RetiredEE]

Uh-oh 😬

[@tfwj69]

Hahaha😂😂😂😂😂 keep hiring people from subway, and Walmart.

[@CanyonBlue737Capt]

But....but...it's a MagicAirBus. Somehow this must be Boeing's fault.

[@Fs3i]

I mean… the problem is not that Boeing had an incident once, it’s the series of life-threatening issues with the max (first mcas, then missing bolts) that has experts worry, especially since it affects new aircraft. This incident only sounds similar on the most surface level you look at it. That doesn’t mean airbus is magic and always perfect, far from it! The problem is that boeings issue are unacceptable, regardless of what their competition is or isn’t doing

[@fuhkerz]

​@Fs3i I think the point is the lack of hysteria. Given the exact same sequence of events due to the exact same causes on a Boeing flight and there would be tons of headlines saying, "Passengers terrified as Boeing plane loses parts from its wing after takeoff." For a while there, even the most mundane flight returning to the airport would get coverage if it was a Boeing. That does seem to have slowed down recently, though. Maybe they finally drove the stock price low enough to cash out

[@CanyonBlue737Capt]

@@Fs3i My comment was not aimed at Airbus so much as at the media and the army of keyboard kaptains who live for Boeing Bashing. My real issue is the uneven reporting of the many, many other issues with Airbus products vs the instant feeding frenzy of expert comments, many from non industry professionals, who watched a scary pseudo documentary on Netflix and now consider themselves experts. Do a search on how many bleed air leaks Airbus has had over the past decade or so. It's an ongoing issue across their product line, and unless one is in the industry, you would never know it's going on. It's kind of like asking one of the keyboard kaptains what the first LionAir crew to experience an MCAS related Runaway StabTrim did differently than the second crew or the Ethiopians, and why they were able to land safely, yet the other two crews were not.

[@cruisinguy6024]

@@Fs3i No, the issue is mass hysteria fueled by news sensationalism. Boeing aircraft are at an all time safety level however people act as if they're falling from the sky. Meanwhile Airbus has incidents all the time but people aren't freaking out about Airbus.

[@angelorobel12]

⁠@@cruisinguy6024 Good point. I agree with you about that mainstream media sensationalism and I wouldn't buy with that kind of sensationalism.

[@buckhorncortez]

Must be Boeing's fault...

[@SaseboJoe]

And no news report about an Airbus aircraft?

[@ender22782]

There it is. Knew there would be one guy who has no idea what he’s talking about

[@seanpellegrino2989]

"Construction part"?

[@garygrant9612]

another ual and airbus problem. someone forgot to re attatch the screws. the faa should ground the aircraft and united.

[@JoeDFWAviation]

DFW regional west feeder sucks, as a DFW based avgeek, I’m sorry.

[@jamescollier3]

yeah. some are great, and some have been down forever

[@fra93ilgrande]

Definitely NOT Airbus’ fault 😅😂

[@RossNixon]

They didn't need to go back. Aircraft was doing fine without it. Emergency? What was the emergency?

[@m00nie_m00n]

Just because it handles fine for the moment, doesn't mean it will stay that way in all conditions. Also potential additional drag by the missing fairing will make fuel calculations impossible. Calling an emergency is a safety precaution in case they quickly need priority and definitely the right choice. I'd fly with these Pilots any time of the day...

[@bryanspink8042]

It’s called Risk Management. He’s minimizing liability for the airline and ensuring the safety of his aircraft, crew and passengers. It’s more than “just a fairing”. Take a good look at the wing of an Airbus A318 / 319/ 320 /321 series (any Airbus for that matter) and you’ll notice that most of the wing is comprised of the flaps, ailerons, leading edge slats and spoilers. That means that most of the wing moves and if a fairing separates, other things can possibly separate as well. If the flaps are affected, you may be forced to land at higher airspeeds and now you have hot brake issues or a lot less likely you could have asymmetrical flaps and now you have a potentially lethal control issue. The same could be said for aileron issues, etc. My point is that ANY piece of the aircraft that falls off is grounds for declaring an emergency and returning to the field. I’ve never had a piece fall off anything I’ve flown but if it happened I would declare an emergency and turn back. When the day comes that I don’t fly anymore I want my logbook to show the same number of takeoffs and landings. This crew did it right.

[@RossNixon]

@@bryanspink8042 Just a Pan Pan really.

[@MCVirtue]

Did ATC really just ask if there is an urgency to get you back?? I mean just the cowling fell off so yeah go ahead and just put us back in line.

[@malahammer]

They weren't sure nor were the flight crew and it was up to the pilot to declare anyway. There was no urgency in the end.

[@qwerty112311]

and what did the pilots say? no urgency. Of all the places _not_ to make assumptions, in the air is at the top of the list.

[@kewkabe]

It's not critical for flight so it's not necessarily urgent.

[@jamescollier3]

it's just 70% cosmetic. 30% wind resistance help. no emergency

[@ardeladimwit]

not critical and doesn't actually impair flight operation, particualrly the fairing.

[@scottw5315]

It's not a Boeing? I'm confused...

[@Murkelsable]

It's almost like no machines are unbreakable. It's just that Boeing planes are slightly more prone to it.

[@scottw5315]

@@Murkelsable I was being sarcastic...I'd like to see those stats that show Boeing having more in flight emergencies not due to pilot error or engine failure.

[@Murkelsable]

@@scottw5315 And I was joking as well, just because of Boeing's current reputation. :P

[@eirinym]

It's United though. The past months, this whole year really, United has had many many incidents related to maintenance. I think management probably made some bad calls about deferred maintenance or overworking maintenance crews. This is what happens.

[@davestevens4193]

Emergency usually comes with a sense of urgency. Let's just get in line...right.

[@mkkm945]

Emergencies are varied. In this case, it's more of a "stay alert" than "my plane's on fire" situation. A flap track fairing is an aerodynamic part but not functional. It's a cover. Like losing one's hood while driving. Not gonna stop anything from working, but gotta get back to base to fix.

[@malahammer]

They weren't sure nor were the flight crew and it was up to the pilot to declare anyway. There was no urgency in the end.

[@mutantryeff]

Kamala's flap track doesn't work either

[@phil2927]

Better than the rapist dictator wannabe you vote for!

[@malahammer]

nothing from your cult leader works except his felonies, court cases, insults, racism, sexism, foulness etc

[@brmam1385]

Really?!? You just HAD to do snark over a POTUS candidate?!? Let me remind you, Mr 34 Felonies is not exactly the shining light in this election!

[@mutantryeff]

@@brmam1385 List the convictions. He hasn't been convicted if he has never been given a sentence.

[@Michael_K_Woods]

Glol bro.

[@IzuanNisa-h1u]

Mayday mayday flight 737 emergency medical isu oxgen level low.