FAA investigating Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 flap incident during landing in Texas
August 25, 2025
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating after a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-800 suffered damage to a flap before landing at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
The aircraft, operating Flight 1893 from Orlando, landed safely despite visible damage captured on video by passengers seated near the wing.
Witnesses reported that part of the trailing-edge flap appeared to be hanging loose as the aircraft descended towards Austin.
Delta Boeing 737-800 lands with flap hanging off
Passenger Shanila Arif described the moment the fault was noticed to CNN: “We felt it was bad turbulence. The plane was shaking. The lady in front of us opened the window and told us it is broken. I opened the window and got scared.”
Arif’s footage showed the flap visibly displaced, yet the aircraft continued to fly normally before touching down without further incident.
Delta flight 1893 landed in Austin with a chunk of its wing flap hanging off.
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 22, 2025
Passengers noticed the problem at 12,000 feet, from their window seats.pic.twitter.com/8WpgkKKqfU
No injuries were reported among the 62 passengers and six crew members onboard.
It follows an incident last month when a piece of a Boeing 737-900ER’s flap was discovered on the driveway of a residential property in North Carolina.
The component is believed to have detached from a Delta Air Lines aircraft that had just completed a flight to Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
A Delta flight flying from Atlanta to Raleigh lost part of its wing flap, which landed in a driveway in a Raleigh neighborhood.
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) July 3, 2025
The flight landed safely. pic.twitter.com/B5mkWy8lot
The aircraft involved was operating as Delta flight 3247, which departed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for Raleigh-Durham on 1 July.
The flight was carrying 109 passengers and six crew. Despite the loss of the flap section, the aircraft landed normally without any issues, and no injuries were reported.
The FAA is investigating both incidents.
Flaps incidents are rare
While extremely rare, flap malfunctions are not unprecedented.
In 2016, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 experienced a flap control fault shortly after take-off, forcing the crew to return to the departure airport.
Similar events have been reported across other aircraft types, including in April when a Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 returned to Jacksonville International Airport after the crew reported a potential flap malfunction shortly after departure.
Flight 1329 had been scheduled to operate from Jacksonville to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport when pilots identified a possible issue with the flaps during the climb.
These incidents, though typically well managed by flight crews, underline the importance of redundant hydraulic and control systems that allow aircraft to land safely even with partial flap extension.
Critical control surfaces
Flaps are critical devices that extend from the rear of the wing, allowing aircraft to fly at slower speeds during take-off and landing.
Any malfunction can affect lift and stability, raising concerns over handling in low-speed phases of flight.
Aviation analysts note that most flap-related issues are traced back to mechanical fatigue, hydraulic leaks, or problems within the complex track assemblies that guide flap movement.
The Boeing 737 family, including the Next Generation (NG) series aircraft operated by Delta, has an extensive safety record.
However, in the current climate of heightened scrutiny around Boeing’s manufacturing standards and airline maintenance oversight, even relatively contained mechanical issues attract significant attention.
