From their vantage points, passengers journeying to Austin, Texas, witnessed a fractured flap barely clinging to its hinges on the wing’s trailing edge, with a red metal piece conspicuously twisting in the wind as the aircraft flew over fields and towns. Video footage captures the fragment violently oscillating, seemingly at risk of detaching completely.

Traveler Shanila Arif, who captured the event on video, initially assumed the disturbance was due to turbulence until another passenger pointed out the issue. ‘We thought we were experiencing severe turbulence. The plane was vibrating,’ she recounted to CNN. ‘The woman in front of us opened the blind and showed us it was broken. I looked out and got frightened.’

Arif confessed she was worried the damaged segment might break off and hit the tail, potentially causing a catastrophe. Flight 1893, which departed from Orlando International and was heading to Austin-Bergstrom International on Tuesday, August 19, successfully landed at 2:24 pm CT, carrying 62 passengers and six crew members.

The aircraft reached the gate at 2:34 pm, following the landing. Delta acknowledged the incident, stating: ‘After DL 1893 landed safely and without any issues in Austin, it was noticed that part of the left wing’s flap was not attached properly.’

‘The plane has been removed from service for repairs. We extend our apologies to our passengers for this situation, as nothing is more vital than the safety of our crew and customers.’

According to the airline, the aircraft was a Boeing 737 operating its regularly scheduled service between Orlando and Austin when the flap section separated from the wing prior to landing. 

Flaps are crucial panels on the back of a wing that extend during takeoff and landing to give the aircraft extra lift. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it is investigating the incident. Delta said it will fully cooperate with regulators as inspectors determine what caused the part to come loose mid-flight.