Part of the wing fell off a jumbo jet flying from Hong Kong to Thailand, but the pilot turned back and landed safely as frightened passengers shot pictures of the hole in the wing, officials said Monday.

Orient Thai Airlines flight OX262 to Chiang Mai had been in the air for 18 minutes Thursday when the crew radioed Hong Kong for permission to return because of an unspecified mechanical problem, said Grace Ng, a spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Department.

Some passengers were alarmed to see the gap in the left wing of the Boeing 747-200. They took pictures through the cabin windows and supplied them to local newspapers that displayed them prominently in Monday’s editions.

After the jet landed, Hong Kong ground inspectors found that the top of the wing was missing a panel that measured 80 centimeters by 100 centimeters, Ng said.

Investigators are trying to determine why it fell off, but Ng said there had been no danger of a crash.

The Oriental Daily News said about 300 people were aboard the flight, but Ng was unable to provide any figures.

The airline and manufacturer Boeing did not immediately return a reporter’s phone calls seeking comment.

(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2003)