Local News in Brief : Plane on Way to L.A. Loses Wing Panel
A panel broke off the left wing of a Los Angeles-bound Boeing 757 after takeoff, forcing the Eastern Airlines flight to return to Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta.
None of the 105 passengers or crew of six was injured, said Robin Matell, an Eastern spokesman in Miami.
The plane left Atlanta at 8:04 p.m. Thursday and was near Birmingham, Ala., when the pilot noticed the problem, said Jack Barker, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.
“It was climbing at 28,000 feet and the captain felt a shudder and heard a noise,” Matell said.
The plane returned to the Atlanta airport an hour later, Matell said, and the passengers were transferred to another flight.
“Eastern is investigating the incident to try to determine what caused it,” Matell said. “We’ll keep the plane out of service until we find out exactly what happened.”
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