Several Danville residents stepped outside their homes Monday night after hearing thumping noises and found mysterious metal parts in their back yards, which turned out to be parts of a FedEx airplane. One resident found debris on the roof.
Residents in the first block of Turrini Circle, the 600 block of Adobe Drive, and the first block of Betten Court who found the metal called 911, and Danville police arrived at the homes around 8:10 p.m., according to reports.
No one was hurt.
The pieces of debris, which ranged in size from 5 feet by 7 feet to 2 feet by 4 feet, all had FedEx’s recognizable purple and orange markings. Danville police notified FedEx, and representatives removed the debris that night, said FedEx spokesperson Sally Davenport.
The pieces came from an MD10 cargo plane’s cowlings, said Davenport. Cowlings are the protective pieces around an airplane’s engine. The cargo plane had departed from Oakland and was headed for a major sorting facility in Dallas-Fort Worth, she said.
The pilots reported feeling what they thought was turbulence during the flight but they were otherwise unaware that anything had fallen. The plane arrived safely in Dallas-Fort Worth.
“We have an excellent maintenance record. I’ve been here many, many years. I have only heard about it one other time,” said Davenport.
Sgt. George Wright of the Danville Police Department said this has never happened before in Danville.
The plane is now undergoing inspection, and the case is being investigated by FedEx, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, said FAA spokesperson Donn Walker.
“We just want to find out why the parts fell off. That’s what we’re investigating,” said Walker. “We are concerned about this and we don’t’ want it occurring again.”
Appeal over redevelopment project at old Chevron HQ coming to San Ramon councilApril 6, 2026 10:32 pm
