Bullet holes were discovered on an American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 following a flight to Medellin, Columbia. The damage was discovered in Miami, and the aircraft was then ferried to Dallas Fort Worth for repairs.
The aircraft involved is N342SX, a 2 year old Boeing 737 MAX 8 delivered to the airline in April 2023. The bullet holes were discovered after the jet operated flight AA924 from Medellin (MDE) to Miami (MIA) on Feb. 23, 2026. It is unclear when exactly the aircraft sustained the damage.
This was first flagged by aviation insider JonNYC on X:
American Airlines later confirmed this in a statement:
Following a routine inspection, our teams identified a puncture to the exterior of one of our aircraft in Medallin, Columbia. The aircraft was immeditately removed from service for further inspection and repair. We will work closely with all relevant authorities to investigate this incident.
The airline added that there were no injuries and no flight-related issues reported.
According to JonNYC and Flightradar24 data, the airline looks to have conducted initial repairs in Miami before ferrying the Boeing 737 to Dallas Fort Worth, where it now sits out of service. The aircraft arrived in DFW late Monday evening.
The damage reportedly extends through the aircraft’s right aileron.
U.S. jets have been struck by bullets in the past.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320 was met with gunfire during landing in a similar incident in November 2024, which forced the aircraft to abort a landing and divert to a nearby airport:
Following a string of other targeted incidents in late 2024, American Airlines suspended flights to Haiti indefinitely.
For now, American Airlines and other U.S. carriers are continuing flights to Columbia.
Featured image by the author.
