'Not in place': Delta Airlines plane loses portion of wing flap mid-air; FAA launches probe

A Delta Air Lines aircraft, on Tuesday, lost part of its wing flap during its journey, as confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft successfully completed its landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), as reported by USA Today.According to FlightAware, a flight monitoring service, Delta flight 3247, which was operating its regular route from Atlanta to RDU, arrived with a delay of approximately 55 minutes.The aircraft involved was a 12-year old Boeing 737-900ER, carrying 109 passengers and six crew members, Delta confirmed. The incident resulted in no injuries. The airline attributed the delays to adverse weather conditions, specifically thunderstorms in the vicinity."After the aircraft landed safely, it was observed that a portion of the left wing's trailing edge flap was not in place. Delta is fully supporting retrieval efforts and will cooperate with investigations as nothing is more important than safety," a Delta spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY.The FAA indicated in their statement that they have commenced an investigation and are working to verify if an aircraft component discovered on a driveway in Raleigh corresponds to the missing flap section from the Delta aircraft.