On Monday, a United Airlines Boeing 757-200 that is used for Hawaii flights, registration N57111, had what appears from this social media photo and confirmed reports to be a serious issue with one of its wing slats while flying en route from San Francisco to Boston. United 354, subsequently called for an emergency landing and diverted to Denver where it arrived safely. The reason that this came to our attention was because the same aircraft flew from Denver to and from Lihue Kauai in January, according to FlightAware.
United Airlines confirmed the problem, and that 165 passengers safely arrived in Denver. The plane remained on ground at Denver while another aircraft was easily dispatched from United’s Denver hub to complete the disabled plane’s mission.
The plane in question is nearly thirty years old, being built in 1994, and is one of that aged United Boeing 757 fleet that the airline is planning to replace.
Wing slats provide lift in the takeoff and landing portions of flights among other things.
The ability of an airliner like United’s 757 to fly with a broken wing slat depends on the severity of the damage and other factors. A commercial airline pilot we asked said that while airliners are designed to operate safely even during failures or malfunctions, a broken wing slat has the potential to impact aerodynamic performance, especially during critical times including takeoff and landing. A damaged slat could interfere with the airflow over the wing. If other pilot friends have any input, please let us know.
Pilots are trained to make determinations based on specific circumstances, and in this case, chose to call for a nearby emergency landing.
But what if the plane had been en route to Hawaii?
If the damage is minor enough, and an aircraft is capable of maintaining a stable flight, pilots could choose to continue to their destination or divert to an alternate airport for inspection and repair. However, if the damage is severe or affects the aircraft’s control, the pilots may opt to declare an emergency and land at the nearest suitable airport.
The problem is that when it comes to Hawaii flights, alrliners can be up to three hours from the nearest airport for a diversion.
Ultimately, the decision to fly with a broken wing slat rests with high skilled pilots in consideration for the safety of the passengers and crew.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Flown on Alaska Air – 767s & Airbus. Both uneventful flights with excellent service.
I know in-flight incidents are scary & they’re headline-grabbing, but statistically speaking you take a far greater risk of death or bodily harm by getting into an automobile & driving out on public roadways.
I can say with 100% accuracy that you did not fly on an Alaska 767. It was a 737 or, depending on how long ago it was, an MD-80.
Typos are a thing, unfortunately. On the 10-key the “3” & the “6” are in close proximity, & unfortunately there is no edit capability. But thank you for your minute attention to details.
My point was that statistically speaking, air travel is very safe. One is far more likely to die horribly in a vehicle mishap.
I think the merger would be a bad idea,because the first thing to happen is a large layoff of employees,(Hawaiian employees) and in this case Alaskan will want to get rid of Hawaiian entire fleet and replace the Airbus aircraft with those dangerous Boeing max’s 9,10’s e.t.c. in that case I will never fly to Hawaii on Alaska. my choice would be jet blue with the Airbus aircraft.
Re: broken wing slat
I’ve said this before here, if you see something say something!
As an aerospace worker (40 years) I can tell you this wing slat situation is not ok. No, no, no. We need a really stricter environment in every phase of industry Thank God it didn’t turn catastrophic.
After 50 years of traveling to Hawaii cannot even imagine never visiting this magical place. Just prioritize a bit more, giving up that expensive daily coffee would likely pay for a one way ticket. At least think about it and dont deprive yourselves of this wonderful place. I promise you wonʻt be sorry.
We have been to Hawaii twice, last May & the year before. We had talked about going there, but it was cost-prohibitive so the discussions weren’t serious. Then I encountered a travel site affiliated with AAFES & found a package deal that was doable, so we jumped on it. Enjoyed our 26th & 27th wedding anniversaries there, one in a rustic bar & grill on the North Shore & the other in a very nice Honolulu restaurant.
Looks like a pterodactyl bit a chunk of that aileron! Whoa!!
That looks like impact damage. Any determination on How it occurred ?
Yeah but what if that thing gets loose an hits another part of the aircraft?
I have flown to Hawaii dozens of times and looked at the water and hope l never have to land there.
Oh my Gosh! Hope all united planes get fully checked ASAP that’s all we fly on , especially when we go to Hawaii every year ‼️