A Cathay Pacific B747-400 on Tuesday lost a panel on the underside of the fuselage on descent into Vancouver Airport, though no injuries were reported.
On descent into Vancouver, CX889 from Hong Kong bound for New York via the British Columbian city, lost the covering of the air conditioning unit when the panel broke from the fuselage, in the process damaging other panels.
All 363 passengers and 17 crew are safe, with no one reporting injuries, and from all reports the landing itself was not complicated.
In a statement to the media Cathay Pacific said, “The fibreglass skin panel is a secondary structure which has nothing to do with structural integrity.”
“The event had no impact on the operation of the aircraft.â€
“The loss of the panel caused no pressurisation issues within the cabin, though some passengers have reported hearing a loud noise.”
Cathay discovered the missing panel after the plane had landed, and as of Wednesday, the missing panel is yet to be found. The airline stresses that no emergency landing was performed.
A Report by The Mole
