United Boeing plane that landed with missing panel prompts investigation

Investigators are looking into why a Boeing plane was missing an external panel after a San Francisco to Oregon flight, officials said. The company was already facing heightened scrutiny from travelers and regulators over incidents involving its aircraft.

United Airlines said Flight 433, which carried 139 passengers and six crew members, was found to be missing an external panel Friday after the Boeing 737-800 parked at the gate at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport in Oregon. It was not immediately clear how or when the plane, which departed San Francisco International Airport that morning, had lost the panel.