An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 was discovered to have an apparent bullet hole in its wing after arriving in Medellín, Colombia, from Miami. The damage was identified during a routine inspection, with no injuries or flight issues reported. The airline removed the aircraft from service and is cooperating with authorities on the investigation.
On Sunday evening, American Airlines flight 923 departed Miami, Florida, bound for José María Córdova International Airport in Medellín, Colombia, aboard a Boeing 737 MAX 8. The flight landed without incident, and passengers deplaned normally. However, during a subsequent routine inspection in Medellín on Monday, ground crews identified a puncture in the exterior of the aircraft's right wing, specifically through the right-hand aileron—a flight control surface on the trailing edge of the wing that helps generate the plane's roll.
Documents reviewed by CBS News indicate the damage is consistent with a bullet strike, featuring a small round entry hole on one side and corresponding exit damage on the other. The airline's statement confirmed: "Following a routine inspection, our teams identified a puncture to the exterior of one of our aircraft in Medellín, Colombia. The aircraft was immediately removed from service for further inspection and repair. We will work closely with all relevant authorities to investigate this incident."
No injuries occurred, and the pilots reported no in-flight issues during the trip. Temporary repairs allowed the plane to operate its scheduled return flight to Miami, landing around 10:24 a.m. on Monday. Flight tracking data shows it then flew to Dallas later that day and has not operated since. It remains unclear when or where the damage occurred, whether on the ground in Medellín or elsewhere.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Colombia, equivalent to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, stated it had no initial information but is now investigating. This incident echoes earlier events in 2024, when aircraft from American Airlines, Spirit, and JetBlue were struck by gunfire near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, amid rising gang violence, leading to temporary flight suspensions. Authorities have not identified suspects or confirmed the gunfire's origin in the Colombia case.
The apparent bullet hole was first reported by airline blogger JonNYC on X.
