Well here’s something you don’t see every day…
In this post:
Delta Boeing 737 loses flap during Raleigh-Durham descent
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating an incident that happened on a flight departing on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Specifically, Delta flight DL3247 operated from Atlanta (ATL) to Raleigh-Durham (RDU), with 115 people onboard. The flight was operated by a 12-year-old Boeing 737-900ER with the registration code N940DU.
The 63-minute flight was routine, and touched down at 12:24AM. Nobody thought more of it, until an aircraft part was found in the driveway of a Raleigh area home. Authorities were contacted, and it was determined that the part was actually the left wing’s trailing edge flap, which “evidently separated from the aircraft prior to its safe landing.”
Flaps are of course an important aircraft part, especially during takeoff and landing. However, this was only a small portion of the flaps, and there are ways to compensate for missing parts. The fact that this wasn’t even noticed until after landing clearly reflects that.
As you’d expect, the plane has been grounded since the flight, so it has now been on the ground for nearly 36 hours. For what it’s worth, this aircraft formerly flew for Indonesia’s Lion Air, and joined Delta’s fleet in 2023.
These kinds of incidents are rare, but happen
Thank goodness that the aircraft part fell in a driveway that had no one in it, rather than falling into a home, or onto a person. The fact that no one was injured, and there was no major damage to anything on the ground, is great.
With the number of planes flying at any given point, of course things will sometimes go wrong. Aircraft losing parts happens, but it’s quite rare. Over the years, we’ve seen aircraft lose wheels, winglets, portions of the flap, etc.
For example, in early 2024, we saw a wheel fall off a United Boeing 777 on takeoff from San Francisco (SFO), which was obviously a pretty dramatic event, especially as it crushed some cars. Fortunately no one was injured.
Bottom line
Someone woke up in Raleigh on Wednesday morning, and found an aircraft flap in their driveway. This was reported to authorities, and it was later determined that this aircraft part belonged to a Delta Boeing 737 that had operated a flight over the house. This incident is now being investigated by authorities.
What do you make of this Delta 737 flap incident?
Perhaps it is about reporting. Perhaps Airbus and other aircraft manufacturers are less reported.
I’ll take the opposite viewpoint on Boeing from everyone else: the 737-900 is such a strong and well made aircraft that it can lose a part of the wing and land safely without even the pilots noticing :)
I find it interesting the part wasn't noticed as missing until it was reported and FAA figured out what it was - rather than by walk-around inspection of the aircraft and the folks who see that airframe every day being like "weird, why isn't this side symmetrical today?"
Why is Delta using old Lion Air planes??? I'd this common?. If so Im getting worried...
Now that lucky home owner can say he has the most PREMIUM driveway in the neighbourhood after being 'touched' by the most premium-est airline ever. And if he personally removes it, he will in turn become premium himself.
but will the driveway become less premium?
No. The driveway stays premium. Everything Delta touches remains premium forever and ever. This is fact. Because TD says so.
Now, United had a wheel falling off, Alaska had its door blowing out, Delta had its flaps. How about AA? Does AA want to participate this?
Poor taste to joke about when you very well know what happened with AA
UA still #1 in NYC
Newark, NJ is not NYC.
you clearly have not seen the latest data from the Port Authority of NY NJ.
For May, EWR traffic was down 20% on a year over year basis and DL had a 25.9% share of passengers at the 3 NYC airports while UA was only at 21.1% Delta boarded a half million more passengers than United.
and this isn't just a one time fluke.
On a YTD basis and for the past 12 months,...
you clearly have not seen the latest data from the Port Authority of NY NJ.
For May, EWR traffic was down 20% on a year over year basis and DL had a 25.9% share of passengers at the 3 NYC airports while UA was only at 21.1% Delta boarded a half million more passengers than United.
and this isn't just a one time fluke.
On a YTD basis and for the past 12 months, DL was the largest airline at NYC.
no. UA is not #1 in NYC and UA's position in NYC is shrinking by the month.
DL on the decline and UA still rising
Also, you have no friends
first, this article had nothing about NYC but you had to throw in a dig.
and it backfired spectacularly.
PANYNJ data shows that DL has a 5 percentage share advantage over UA - the biggest POSITIVE GAP that DL has ever had relative to UA or CO.
It is only in your fantasies that you can come to any conclusion other than that UA is getting its backside handed to it as a result...
first, this article had nothing about NYC but you had to throw in a dig.
and it backfired spectacularly.
PANYNJ data shows that DL has a 5 percentage share advantage over UA - the biggest POSITIVE GAP that DL has ever had relative to UA or CO.
It is only in your fantasies that you can come to any conclusion other than that UA is getting its backside handed to it as a result of its poorly managed and even worse executed routine runway closure and rebuilding that is leading to less capacity at EWR for the long term.
When a carrier falls out of first place as badly as UA has at NYC, it is big news.
You took the bait, and here you are again, embarrassing yourself. Get a life.
no. you stuck your neck out and got it chopped off.
You foolishly posted about UA in NYC on the day that the Port Authority noted that UA's traffic at EWR dropped by more than 20%, DL operated 50% more flights than UA In May and DL's share grew more than 5% better than UA's.
Nobody took any bait except you thinking you were going to get smart and instead got slapped up the side of the head.
UA is quite a bit smaller than DL in NYC now.
I know this is not a Boeing issue (hopefully), and rather a maintenance issue, but I find it interesting that it seems Boeing jets suffer from maintenance problems more often than airbus
Without having looked at any statistics, if you're in the US this could be a matter of self selection. I believe there are a lot more Boeings flying around North America than Airbuses, so if they have the same accident rate you'll hear about a lot more Boeings. Additionally, and again if you're in the US, I'm not sure how much we might hear on the news here about minor incidents that occur elsewhere in the world.
Luckiest Diamond Medallion member ever!!!! Usually only Delta 360 members get aircraft parts as requal gifts!!! PREMIUM™
Yes yes Boeing jet but also this is a former Lion Air jet too lmao
If it's Boeing, I'm not going!
The most important contribution you have made to this aviation blog for ages bro, congratulations.
Who would have thunked it, that name Boeing and those numbers 737 …. again!
Flying on a Boeing is no longer considered as traveling but more as surviving
The most premium falling debris! Had it struck someone, they'd have had the most premium funeral. Buried in a retired Delta One pod, maybe?