FAA Probes Delta Jet Flap Found on Home Driveway
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation after a piece of a Delta Air Lines aircraft’s wing flap was discovered in the driveway of a residential home in North Carolina. The section of trailing edge flap apparently detached from a Boeing 737-900ER during its approach to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) after a flight from Atlanta.
Delta flight 3247 departed Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport at 11:31 p.m. on July 1, 2025, for the hour-long journey to Raleigh-Durham. The aircraft, registered N940DU, was carrying 109 passengers and six crew members. After landing safely without incident, a visual inspection revealed that a section of the left wing’s trailing edge flap was missing.
Earlier that morning, at approximately 8:30 a.m., a North Carolina homeowner contacted emergency services after finding a large piece of metal on their driveway. Local authorities responded and confirmed that the object was a detached aircraft component. FAA officials and Delta personnel later identified the part as belonging to the 737-900ER that had just landed at RDU.
A Delta spokesperson stated that safety is the airline’s top priority and confirmed that Delta is fully cooperating with the investigation and retrieval efforts. The missing flap section was recovered around 12:30 p.m. by Delta employees.
No injuries were reported on the aircraft or on the ground, and no damage occurred to nearby property. However, questions remain about how the component became detached mid-flight. The FAA is working to determine the cause of the incident and has not yet released any preliminary findings.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows that the aircraft has remained grounded at Raleigh-Durham Airport since the event. While Delta has not provided a timeline for the aircraft’s return to service, it is currently undergoing inspection and repair, likely to be performed locally by Delta TechOps, the airline’s in-house maintenance division, which operates a facility at the airport.
The 737-900ER involved in the incident is nearly 13 years old and was originally delivered to Indonesia’s Lion Air in 2012. It was acquired by Delta in November 2022 and now operates with a 173-seat configuration, including 12 seats in first class and 161 in economy.
Though rare, incidents involving the loss of aircraft components during flight raise critical safety concerns and require thorough review. Investigators will assess whether maintenance, manufacturing, or structural fatigue contributed to the failure.
This event comes amid heightened scrutiny of aircraft safety and maintenance practices across the aviation industry. While passengers were unaware of the issue until after landing, the FAA’s findings will help determine if further checks or fleet-wide inspections are necessary for Delta’s 737-900ER aircraft.
Related News : https://airguide.info/?s=Delta+Airlines