Northwest 757 diverts to Vegas after losing part of wing

Northwest 757 diverts to Vegas after losing part of wing
By John Croft

A Northwest Airlines 757-200 with 193 passengers and crew declared an emergency in flight yesterday morning after a 3- by 2-ft panel, which included underlying hydraulic lines, ripped from the rear upper section of the right wing, hit the window at passenger row 28 and then damaged the right side of the horizontal stabilizer.

According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, the pilots notified air traffic controllers of the event at 9:10 am Monday morning when flying over Dagget, California, about 20 minutes out of Los Angeles. Flight 332 was enroute to Detroit.

The pilots declared an emergency and landed safely on Runway 25 at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. There was no emergency evacuation, though the aircraft was towed to the gate from the runway, according to the FAA.

is this real?

If it is, then damn good job those pilots did getting that plane and its passengers safely back on the ground.

:wow:

edit: Found the link: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/05/13/223659/northwest-757-diverts-to-vegas-after-losing-part-of-wing.html

A panel held on by a few screws came off (probably because someone forgot to tighten them). Not "a chunk of the wing", no structural components.