An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 was found with a suspected bullet hole in its wing after landing in Medellín, Colombia, on Sunday night. The aircraft had just completed Flight 923 from Miami to Medellín when ground staff discovered a puncture running through the right-hand aileron.
The damage included a small, round entry hole on one side of the aileron and a corresponding exit point on the other, consistent with a possible bullet strike, according to sources familiar with the incident. Ailerons are hinged control surfaces on the outer edges of each wing that help the plane roll or bank during flight.
Despite the discovery, American Airlines said the jet experienced no issues during the flight and no injuries were reported. “Following a routine inspection, our teams identified a puncture to the exterior of one of our aircraft in Medellín, Colombia,” the airline said in a statement. “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 carried out overnight, and flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft returned to Miami on Monday morning before later flying to Dallas. The apparent strike was first flagged publicly by aviation blogger @xJonNYC on X.
It is not the first time passenger aircraft have been impacted by gunfire. In 2024, a bullet hit a Southwest Airlines plane preparing for departure from Dallas Love Field Airport, hitting an area near the cockpit. Nobody was injured, and that plane was also temporarily removed from service.
