United Airlines Boeing aircraft found to be missing external panel

An external panel was found to be missing on an aircraft after it arrived in Medford, Oregon, according to United Airlines.

"This afternoon, United flight 433 landed safely at its scheduled destination at Rogue Valley International/Medford Airport. After the aircraft was parked at the gate, it was discovered to be missing an external panel. We'll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service. We'll also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred," the airline noted in a statement, according to nbcbayarea.com.

The outlet reported that United noted that there had been 139 passengers and six crewmembers aboard the aircraft.

The flight had traveled to Medford, Oregon, from San Francisco, California, according to FlightAware.

The aircraft is a Boeing 737-824, according to airport director Amber Judd, Rogue Valley Times reported.

The outlet reported that based on the plane's N-number, the airplane had been delivered to Continental Airlines December 22, 1998. The aircraft has been operated by United since November 30, 2011, according to the outlet.

Earlier this year, "a left mid-cabin door plug blew out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on January 5 while in flight," according to the FAA. That incident also involved a Boeing aircraft.

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