American Airlines confirms the metal object found in a North Texas family’s back yard fell from one of its MD-80 airplanes.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how a piece of an aircraft ended up in a Lewisville, Texas, backyard.
The piece crashed into a backyard early Wednesday morning, and the impact was loud enough to wake up some neighbors.
“I came rushing outside and I saw this big piece of metal lying in the grass here,” said homeowner Naresh Boga.
“I heard this loud, hard noise like something fell,” said next-door neighbor Stephanie Sewell. “It was pretty abrupt because you don’t hear something like that around here.”
The large piece of metal had some writing on it, including “fuel control drain.”
“I Googled it up and figured out it was something from a plane,” said Boga.
The FAA confirmed the metal object did come from a large jet, and American Airlines on Thursday confirmed the piece fell from one of its MD-80 airplanes.
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It was a panel door, which protects an extra engine at the tail that powers the plane.
In a statement to NBC 5, American Airlines said, "We are conducting an internal investigation, as well as working with the FAA, and will return the aircraft to service once repairs are complete."
“The screws and bolts were still in it. It was crazy,” recalled Newell.
The Boga family moved into the Castle Hills neighborhood just six months ago, and takes it in stride.
“What are the odds of that happening in a house where you moved six months ago? Fairly slim,” said Boga.
The FAA doesn’t have any statistics on how often something like this happens. The agency said about 45,000 flights crisscross the country every day, and said it might happen a few times a year.
NBC 5's Ben Russell contributed to this report.
