As a Raleigh, North Carolina, family slept early Wednesday, they had no idea what was waiting for them in their driveway.
Then they found a surprise blocking the driveway in the form of a wing flap, according to WNCN-TV.
After a bit of detective work, police matched the unexpected find with a Delta plane that didn’t quite make it all the way to Raleigh Durham Airport with all of its parts intact.
The plane, which had departed from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport carrying 109 passengers and six crew members landed in Raleigh at about 1:15 a.m.
“After the aircraft landed safely, it was observed that a portion of the left wing’s trailing edge flap was not in place,” a Delta representative said, according to USA Today.
The FAA is investigating after part of a wing flap from a Delta plane was found in a driveway in North Carolina. The airline said it is cooperating with the investigation. @WhitJohnson reports. https://t.co/QzCTi77E1a pic.twitter.com/y1wK8jHSsL
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) July 3, 2025
“Delta is fully supporting retrieval efforts and will cooperate with investigations as nothing is more important than safety,” the representative said.
The 12-year-old Boeing 737-900ER landed without incident, after being delayed due to thunderstorms.
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After police got a call from a Raleigh residents at about 8:30 a.m. to report the airplane flap, authorities realized the missing flap and the piece found in a driveway were one and the same.
The flap was removed at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating the incident, according to WNCN.
“Delta Air Lines informed the FAA that an inspection of Flight 3247, after it landed safely Tuesday night at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, revealed part of a wing flap was missing,” the FAA said in a statement, according to CBS.
“The FAA determined the part found on a driveway in Raleigh is from that aircraft and is investigating,” the statement said.
No one was injured on the ground, according to WRAL-TV.
“It’s amazing when you consider it’s such a dense neighborhood and people are out all the time,” said Susan Reed, who works not far from where the flap landed.
“We really dodged a bullet on this one. Let’s just hope it doesn’t happen again,” she said.
Aviation lawyer James Crouse told WNCN the incident seems worse than it was.
“Even if it came off a smaller aircraft, which was my first thought. I honestly don’t think it will affect the safety of the aircraft and landing,” he said.
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