Northwest DC-9 Apparently Shed Part

A family in McFarland, WI was a bit addled to find what appeared to be a two-foot-long metal aerodynamic fairing in their backyard Wednesday.

"I was coming out with the laundry basket to hang my laundry, and I noticed a piece of metal in my yard, a large, large piece of metal in my yard, and I thought, 'Oh, my goodness, "That looks like an airplane wing,'" Judi St. Clair told WISC-TV. "But I thought, 'How can that be?'"

St. Clair may not have to wait long for her answer... as earlier in the day, Northwest Airlines personnel in Madison discovered a missing wing fairing on a DC-9 that had just arrived from Detroit, MI.

"The approximate 2-foot-long piece used to reduce drag was not a flight safety issue," said Northwest Airlines spokesman Dean Breest, adding the airline wants to make sure the part that fell in the St. Clair's backyard is the same one missing from the DC-9 before commenting further.

The family turned the part over to authorities in McFarland, who in turned alerted the FAA. For her part, St. Clair remains a bit disconcerted over the entire incident.

"It's a very strange thing. It's kind of really penetrating now, and it's not every day that you think about walking into your back yard and having things fall from the sky," she said.

FMI: www.nwa.com