FedEx Makes Bombing Run

(Danville, California) No one was injured, but many people called police to complain when airplane parts fell from the sky in several residential neighborhoods. From the ContraCostaTimes:

Airplane pieces fell from the sky over Danville Monday night, surprising residents and FedEx and causing damages to at least one house, but injuring no one.

FedEx spokeswoman Sally Davenport said this morning the flight from Oakland landed safely as scheduled in Dallas-Fort Worth with two pilots and an assortment of packages aboard.

Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration said three pieces came off the MD11 jet.

A FedEx spokesman called the incident highly unusual and plans to be in contact with homeowners in the area about the debris.

So, despite missing some parts, including one that was about 10 feet long, the plane flew all the way to Dallas and landed safely. And, inexplicably, the pilots didn't know that their plane was falling apart. According to FAA spokesman Donn Walker, the parts came from an engine thrust reverser.

Maybe I'm being overly critical, but the fact that the pilots didn't know they had a problem is somewhat troubling. It begs the question of just how much of the plane has to become dismantled in flight to achieve the threshold for pilot awareness. Is it okay for five percent of the plane to fall from the sky without pilot knowledge? Ten percent? Twenty?

Companion post at The Jawa Report.