A United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 jetliner is grounded at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, January 7, 2024. /Reuters
United Airlines confirmed on Tuesday that its flight 354 from San Francisco to Boston made an emergency landing on Monday due to a damaged wing.
The company said there was "an issue with the slat on the wing of the aircraft" but did not specify the cause of the damage to the Boeing 757-200 aircraft.
A video shared on social media by Kevin Clarke, one of the 165 passengers on board, showed the slate panel partially shredded. "Just about to land in Denver with the wing coming apart on the plane," Clarke said in the video clip.
A screenshot of a video taken from a United Airlines Boeing plane shows a piece of the wing's flap missing. /Kevin Clarke via China Media Group
The plane was diverted to Denver International Airport after the wing flap issue and safely landed at 5:21 p.m. The passengers were transferred to another plane and arrived at Boston Logan International Airport early Tuesday morning, according to United Airlines.
No injuries were reported. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it would investigate the incident.
Last month, the FAA grounded most of Boeing's 737 MAX 9 jets after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 passenger jet shortly after takeoff.
(With input from Xinhua)