Delta Boeing 737 sees wing flap detach on approach to Austin Airport: videos

A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-800 has made a successful landing at Austin-Bergstrom Airport (AUS) in Texas after part of its trailing edge wing flap detached in-flight. The flight carrying 68 passengers and crew taxied to the gate upon landing without further assistance.

The incident unfolded as Delta flight DL1893 from Orlando to Austin was nearing the end of its journey on approach into the Texas airport. The flight was being operated by Boeing 737-800 registered as N3740C, which, according to ch-aviation, is 24.7 years old. The flight had departed from Orlando International Airport (MCO) at 13:11 local time on August 19, 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.

BREAKING: #Delta Flight 1893's left wing flap reportedly detached mid-air but landed safely at Austin-Bergstrom #Airport with 68 on board. The FAA is investigating the #incident to ensure safety standards are met.@CBSNews pic.twitter.com/AYRdwPBZbT

— Chloe Smith 🇺🇸 (@ChloeSmith1728) August 20, 2025

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

A Delta airplane that landed at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Tuesday was taken out of service for repairs after crews and passengers spotted a damaged wing flap.

FULL STORY: https://t.co/hDqgRgM0Ts pic.twitter.com/7n1OkWyHUz

— CBS Austin (@cbsaustin) August 20, 2025

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.

Second event in two months

The incident is the second involving a Delta Boeing 737 and the detachment of wing flaps in just two months. At the start of July 2025, the FAA began an investigation after a section of the trailing edge wing flap was found on the driveway of a private home in North Carolina. The section of flap had seemingly detached from a Boeing 737-900ER, which had recently landed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) following the completion of a passenger flight from Atlanta (ATL).

The unexpected appearance of a section of flap on a driveway caused the homeowner to call the emergency services via 911. Local reports at the time stated that a call was received by call handlers at around 08:30 on the morning of July 2, 2025, which told of a portion of the wing being found on the driveway.

Local police attended the property and later confirmed that the article had indeed come from an aircraft as it prepared to land at the airport. Further investigation soon discovered the source of the part as the Delta Air Lines jet, which had landed safely and without further incident.