The part, a panel door that normally covers a non-pressurized hydraulic servicing area, fell from American Airlines Flight 1910 from Dallas on Wednesday shortly before landing in Charlotte.
The door touched down on the Green Meadows Golf Course in Mount Holly near the 7th hole, an eyewitness told local news service WBTV.
The Airbus A321 with 146 passengers onboard landed safely 20 minutes after the incident. The airline said losing the door didn’t pose a safety issue to the aircraft.
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The FAA is currently investigating the incident.
A similar apparently unintentional “bombing” happened in Shanghai last month, when a door panel covering an airliner landing gear bay fell on a factory in the Songjiang district.