Air India Dreamliner left with gaping hole mid-flight after eight-foot panel falls off fuselage

An investigation has been launched after the panel came away on Saturday

Latest in a series of mishaps for the high-tech jet introduced two years ago

The plane was carrying 148 people and travelling from Delhi to Bangalore

An entire fleet of Dreamliners were grounded in January for four months



A large panel fell off a plane mid-flight leaving a gaping hole in the aircraft while 148 passengers were on board.

An investigation has been launched after the panel came away from the fuselage on the Air India 787 Dreamliner on Saturday.

It is the latest in a series of mishaps since the high-tech jet was introduced two years ago.



An investigation has been launched after the panel came away from the fuselage on a 787 Dreamliner

Boeing said the loss of the fuselage panel posed no safety risk to passengers.

The jet was carrying 148 people including crew on a flight from Delhi to Bangalore, The Times of India reported.



The pilots did not realise the eight-by-four-foot panel was missing until after the flight landed, adding that India's aviation authorities are investigating.

DREAMLINE DISASTERS

July 28 2012: A fan shaft fails during runway tests in South Carolina December 2012: A Dreamliner was forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans January 7 2013: An unoccupied Dreamliner flight bursts into flames at Boston airport January 15 2013: A flight made an emergency landing in Japan after a smoke alarm went off. The string of incidents led to regulators ordering a global grounding of the entire Dreamliner fleet, which lasted for four months June 2 2013: Battery-related problems were reported on a Japan Airlines aircraft forcing the airline to use an alternative plane June 12 2013: A flight in Japan was cancelled after one of the engines failed to start June 18 2013: A United Airlines flight was diverted to Seattle due to an oil-filter problem June 24 2013: A Dreamliner operated by United Airlines had to make an emergency landing in Denver due to a brake problem July 3 2013: Polish airline LOT cancelled a Dreamliner flight to Chicago because the aircraft had ‘problems with the power supply'. July 12 2013: Ethiopian Airlines plane catches fire on the runway at Heathrow, forcing the closure of the whole airport. July 19 2013: Japan Airlines flight from Boston forced to turn around due to a possible issue with the plane's fuel pump July 26 2013: Qatar Airways pulls plane out of service 'after smoke reported near electrical compartment' October 2013: Two Dreamliners forced to abandon flights because of problems with toilets and de-icing system



Boeing said the missing panel fell from the underside of the plane on the right side.

A photo shows a large opening with components and aircraft structure visible inside.

Boeing spokesman Doug Alder said: 'It was the mid-underwing-to-body fairing located on the belly of the airplane on the right side.



The part 'provides a more aerodynamic surface in flight.'

He said Boeing is working to understand what caused the panel to fall and declined to say whether the plane was made at Boeing's South Carolina factory.

A number of Air India jets have come from that assembly line.

According to reports, the panel was replaced with one taken from a just-delivered 787 Dreamliner that was not yet ready for service.

It is believed that plane is now awaiting a spare part.

Problems with the 787 include battery overheating that prompted regulators to ground the entire fleet in January.

Flights were eventually resumed in April. In July, a fire broke out in an empty aircraft that was parked at Heathrow.

Only last week two Dreamliners were forced to abandon flights within 24 hours because of separate techincal problems with the toilets and de-icing system.



Japan Airlines Co was forced to turn around its Tokyo-bound flight from Moscow today due to a problem in the jet's lavatory.

JAL spokesman Takuya Shimoguchi said the toilet malfunction was likely caused by an electronic glitch.

