An American Airlines aircraft was discovered with what appears to be a bullet hole after landing in Colombia, according to sources familiar with the incident and documents reviewed by CBS News.
The damage was identified on the right wing of a Boeing 737 MAX 8 following its arrival in Medellín from Miami on Sunday evening as Flight 923. After the aircraft landed, ground crew members reported a puncture that extended completely through the right-hand aileron, a critical flight control surface located along the trailing edge of the wing.
Sources indicated that the damage is consistent with a possible bullet strike. Investigators observed a small, round entry hole on one side of the aileron and corresponding damage on the opposite side, believed to be the exit point. The incident was first reported by airline industry blogger JonNYC on social media platform X.
Ailerons play a vital role in controlling an aircraft’s roll during flight. Despite the apparent puncture, American Airlines said there were no injuries reported and no operational issues experienced during the flight.
In a statement, the airline confirmed that the aircraft was removed from service upon discovery of the damage.
“Following a routine inspection, our teams identified a puncture to the exterior of one of our aircraft in Medellín, Colombia,” American Airlines said. “The aircraft was immediately removed from service for further inspection and repair. We will work closely with all relevant authorities to investigate this incident.”
Temporary repairs were completed, and according to flight tracking data from Flightradar24, the aircraft returned to Miami on Monday morning as scheduled. It remained in Florida for approximately 12 hours before operating a flight to Dallas. The aircraft has not flown since.
