ATLANTA — The FAA is checking out a problem that happened on a Delta plane wing leaving from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. They say a wing flap came off during a flight going from Atlanta to Raleigh-Durham on Tuesday night.
Here’s what happened:
Delta plane wing told the FAA about the missing part after Flight 3247 landed safely at Raleigh-Durham International. After the Boeing 737-900 reached the airport, the ground crew noticed the flap was gone.
That missing wing flap was later found in someone’s driveway in Raleigh.
What Delta said:
A Delta spokesperson gave a short statement. “After the aircraft landed safely, we saw part of the left wing’s flap was missing. We’re helping with the search for the part and working with investigators. Safety comes first.”
Delta also shared that the plane had 109 passengers and 6 crew members. It left Atlanta at 11:06 p.m., which was 10 minutes late because of a thunderstorm. The plane landed safely at 1:15 a.m. on July 2.
Zooming out:
Delta Air Lines is based in Atlanta and runs almost 1,000 planes. It’s the third-biggest airline fleet in the world. For 2025 (based on 2024 data), Delta was named the 4th safest U.S. airline and placed 21st in the world. Alaska Airlines, which has 328 planes, was ranked first. Hawaiian Airlines (70 planes) came second. American Airlines, with 981 planes, came in third.
Delta often gets voted as one of the world’s top airlines. It’s also one of the best places to work in Atlanta and a top pick for many passengers. The airline hasn’t had a fatal crash since 2006.