Detached wing flap from Delta Boeing 737 lands in driveway

A Delta Air Lines flight landed safely in North Carolina despite missing a section of its wing flap, which was later found in the driveway of a home in Raleigh, according to officials and local media.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that Delta Flight 3247, a Boeing 737-900, landed without incident at Raleigh-Durham International Airport early Wednesday morning. An inspection after landing revealed that part of the left wing’s trailing edge flap was missing.

“The FAA determined the part found on a driveway in Raleigh is from that aircraft and is investigating,” the statement said.

According to WXIA, the flight departed Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport at 11:06 p.m. on Tuesday following a 10-minute delay caused by thunderstorms. It landed safely in Raleigh at 1:15 a.m. on Wednesday.

“After the aircraft landed safely, it was observed that a portion of the left wing’s trailing edge flap was not in place,” a Delta spokesperson said. “Delta is fully supporting retrieval efforts and will cooperate with investigations.”

There were 109 passengers and six crew members on board at the time. According to Delta, the wing flap separated before the flight landed.