Passengers Experience Panic on Florida to Texas Flight After Part of Plane's Wing Detaches

A Delta Air Lines flight from Florida experienced a frightening incident last Tuesday when a portion of its wing partially detached just minutes before landing at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas. The incident occurred on flight DL 1893, a Boeing 737 that had departed from Orlando International Airport bound for Austin. Onboard were 62 passengers and six crew members who faced a tense situation upon realizing that a component of the wing was damaged mid-flight.

The Moment of Alarm

According to international media reports, the journey had already been complicated by severe turbulence, causing anxiety among the passengers. The situation escalated when a passenger noticed something was amiss with the left wing.

"A lady in front of me opened the shade and said something was broken. When I looked out the window, I saw a piece hanging and felt terrified," recounted Shanila Arif, a passenger on the flight, in an interview with CNN. Arif captured the defect on her cellphone: the footage shows a flap, a mobile surface on the wing that assists with lift during takeoffs and landings, partially detached and dangling precariously.

"I was afraid the part would completely detach and hit the tail of the plane, causing an accident," she added.

Safe Landing and Delta's Apology

Despite the visible damage, the crew managed to maintain control of the aircraft, and the flight landed safely in Austin, where ground teams confirmed the misalignment of a flap section on the left wing. Delta Air Lines promptly removed the aircraft from service and announced thorough inspections and repairs. In a statement, the airline apologized to the affected travelers:

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and our customers. We apologize for this experience and will fully cooperate with the FAA's investigation," the statement read.

FAA Initiates Investigation

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation to determine the causes of the partial detachment and to review the aircraft's maintenance history. The U.S. agency had already intensified inspections of several Boeing models in recent months following reports of structural component failures.

Concerning Precedents

This is not an isolated incident. Delta has encountered several issues in 2025 with its Boeing aircraft:

In March, a Boeing 737-800 en route from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles experienced an engine failure shortly after takeoff, necessitating an emergency landing.

In January, another Boeing 757 lost a front landing gear wheel during takeoff in Atlanta, although the crew managed to complete the flight without injuries.

The manufacturer Boeing is also dealing with a history of recent problems. In May 2024, a Boeing 737-900 operated by United Airlines experienced a similar flap failure, prompting the FAA to mandate new inspections. In July 2024, the U.S. aviation authority called for inspections of over 2,600 Boeing 737s due to defects in oxygen valves.

Passengers Caught Between Fear and Distrust

Although the incident in Austin concluded without injuries, the experience left passengers in shock. The images shared by Shanila Arif on social media quickly went viral, fueling the perception that technical issues with Boeing airplanes are becoming increasingly common. The episode rekindles the debate over air travel safety and the pressure faced by both Delta Air Lines and Boeing, at a time when the industry strives to regain traveler confidence after a series of incidents that, while not fatal, have exposed vulnerabilities in aircraft.