Turbulence of a different sort struck passengers of United Flight 354 yesterday when their Boston-bound plane from San Francisco was forced to make an unplanned stopover in Denver, following the discovery of significant damage to part of the wing mid-flight. Kevin Clarke, one of the passengers, experienced a few harrowing moments as he observed part of the wing "coming apart," capturing this on his cell phone video, he shared his relief upon landing saying "Just about to land in Denver with the wing coming apart on the plane," as Boston 25 News reported.
Clarke, who ultimately touched down three hours behind schedule, recounted walking down the jetway and spotting bird strike forms, querying their presence only to be confronted later with the unsettling noise of a damaged aircraft. Once in the air after takeoff from San Francisco, he heard a "loud buzzing noise" that later subsided, it wasn't until later that the true extent of the wing's impairment came to light he told Boston 25 News. Fortunately, the captain returned to inspect the damage, confirmed the safety of continued flight, and decided to divert to Denver, capturing images of the mangled wing to confer with ground officials.
After a successful emergency landing, an aircraft maintenance crew swooped in to examine the defect; WHDH reported that the issue had been with the slat on the aircraft's wing, though no further specifics about the damage or its cause were immediately disclosed by the airline. United Airlines organized another plane to ferry the 165 passengers, who continued their journey and arrived at Logan Airport albeit significantly delayed.
According to Clarke's interview with Boston 25 News, despite initial panic, he felt that United handled the nerve-wracking situation commendably; after the initial scare, the pilot's communication and action reassured passengers as they proceeded safely, they were transferred to a new aircraft in Denver and made it to Boston without further incident.
