'We Really Dodged a Bullet' as Plane Part Falls in Driveway

Delta Air Lines is investigating after a piece of a wing flap from one of its jets turned up in the driveway of a home in Raleigh, North Carolina, the FAA confirmed Wednesday. The part was traced to Delta Flight 3247, a Boeing 737-900 that flew from Atlanta to Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Tuesday night, per CBS News. The plane landed without incident, but a post-flight inspection revealed a section of the left wing's trailing edge flap was missing. It surfaced the next morning when a caller reported airplane debris blocking a driveway. There were 109 passengers and six crew members on board the flight. Delta says no injuries occurred, and the flight was delayed by a thunderstorm but otherwise landed as scheduled.

Both Delta and the FAA are now investigating how the part detached during flight. Delta said in a statement that it is assisting recovery efforts and will cooperate with federal investigators, emphasizing safety as its top priority. The FAA has not yet determined what caused the incident. A woman who works in the area where the wing flap landed said it was "amazing" that no one on the ground was hurt. "It's such a dense neighborhood and people are out all the time," Susan Reed told WRAL, per CNN. "We really dodged a bullet on this one. Let's just hope it doesn't happen again."