Delta 737 loses part of wing mid-flight

DELTA BOEING 737-932 N855DN (MSN 31966)

A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-800 has made a successful landing at Austin-Bergstrom Airport in Texas after part of its trailing edge wing flap detached in-flight. The flight carrying 88 passengers and crew taxied to the gate upon landing without further assistance.

The incident unfolded as Delta flight DL1893 from Orlando (MCO/KMCO) to Austin (AUS/KAUS) was nearing the end of its journey on approach into the Texas airport. The flight had departed from Orlando International Airport at 13:11 local time on the 19th of August 2025, for the two-hour and 15-minute flight to Austin.

As the aircraft approached Austin, the crew lowered the flaps in preparation for landing. However, as videos posted on social media illustrated, the lower section on the left-hand outer trailing edge flap became detached from the flap mechanism at its outboard end. The loose flap section was retained on the wing by the hinge fixing on the inboard end of the flap track mechanism and remained in place as the aircraft made its final approach.

The aircraft eventually touched down on Austin’s runway 18R around 15 minutes later at 14:27 local time and taxied without further assistance to its allocated parking stand. According to a posting by the Federal Aviation Administration, the aircraft “landed and a post-flight inspection revealed that the trailing edge of the left-hand wing flap was bent upward.”

The aircraft has been taken out of service for repairs, as data from Flightradar24 shows that the aircraft still remains on the ground in Austin and has not flown since the incident flight.

Although seemingly serious to the untrained eye, the event is unlikely to have been classified as a major risk to the safety of the passengers and crew onboard DL1893. While flaps provide lift to the aircraft at relatively low speeds on take-off and landing, aircraft of this type and size can land without flaps in the event of an emergency, such as a hydraulic failure. Indeed, the fact that the flap section stayed attached to the airframe and did not detach completely means that it will have still been of some use to the pilots flying the aircraft.

Aircraft Information:
Airline: Delta Airlines 
Code: DL/DAL

Aircraft: Boeing 737-832

Registration: N3740C
Serial Number: 30800
Engines: 2 x CFMI CFM56-7B
First Flew: 04/12/2000
Age: 24.8 Years