A wing panel from a Boeing 747 freighter that had fallen off upon landing was found in a grassy area near the runway at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Investigations revealed that the panel had been there for over two months, having detached from a One Air 747-400 freighter that landed in early January 2024.
According to the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), an upper left wing panel was found in a grassy area near Heathrow’s Runway 27, approximately 600m west of the runway threshold. The panel, determined to be from a Boeing 747, was discovered on March 7th, 2024, and traced back to a One Air Boeing 747-400BDSF that landed at Heathrow on January 6th, 2024.
The detachment of the wing panel likely occurred after touchdown when the spoilers were deployed, due to fatigue cracking of its supporting rib. While Boeing’s assessment suggests a low probability of impacting flight safety, the risk of creating runway foreign object debris (FOD) is higher. Heathrow’s sophisticated FOD radar detection system, which scans only the hard runway surface, missed the panel due to its location in the grass.
The AAIB report highlights the importance of effective FOD measures at airports capable of handling Boeing 747s. The incident aircraft, a 33-year-old Boeing 747-400BDSF registered as G-UNET, previously flew with Air Canada before being converted into a freighter in 2005. One Air, the British cargo carrier operating the plane, launched in July 2023 and is based at East Midlands Airport.
Leave a Reply