United CEO desperately tries to reassure fliers that airline is safe despite string of 'unrelated' incidents all involving Boeing jets

The CEO of United Airlines is trying to reassure fliers that the company is safe following a string of concerning incidents involving Boeing jets. 

Scott Kirby sent an email to customers saying that 'safety is our highest priority and at the center of everything we do' according to CNBC - while Boeing's market value dropped by 12.15 percent over the past month. 

It comes after a series of terrifying incidents unfolded on United Airlines flights in recent months - from a wheel falling from an Osaka-bound jet early March to a panel blowing off a plane shortly after it took off from San Francisco last week. 

'Safety is our highest priority and is at the center of everything we do,' Kirby said in an email to customers on Monday. 

'Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, our airline has experienced a number of incidents that are reminders of the importance of safety.' 

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the worrying incidents, which Kirby described as 'all unrelated' in the email. 

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby (pictured) sent an email to customers saying that 'safety is our highest priority and at the center of everything we do' according to CNBC - while Boeing's market value tumbles

Boeing's market value dropped by 12.15 percent over the past month, including a 5.42 percent dip over the last five days alone 

Kirby said United Airlines is reviewing the details of each incident 'and using those insights to inform our safety training and procedures across all employee groups'.  

The aviation industry has come under the microscope after a string of recent mishaps unfolded, beginning with a door blowing off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 on January 5. 

In the latest incident, a United Airlines plane from San Francisco built by Boeing was grounded Friday after it was found to be missing a panel after it touched down.

The plane is a Boeing 737-824, and successfully touched down in Medford Airport in Oregon despite the missing part. 

No injuries were reported and the Boeing aircraft was not new or a MAX, Jackson County Airport Director Amber Judd said.

The incident - only the latest from the embattled manufacturer - is the sixth involving a Boeing plane in 10 days. 

Judd further clarified the part fell off midflight, as feds continue to look into Boeing's production practices.

United Airlines, meanwhile, issued a statement, confirming that the 139 passengers and six crew members who had been on board were all safe.

It read: 'This afternoon United flight 433 landed safely at its scheduled destination at Rogue Valley International/Medford Airport. 

'After the aircraft was parked at the gate, it was discovered to be missing an external panel. 

'We’ll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service. 

'We'll also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred.'

A United Airlines plane built by Boeing was grounded Friday after it was found to be missing a panel after it touched down following a flight. Pictured: The missing part on the 25-year-old Boeing 737-824

Jackson County Airport Director Amber Judd reiterated the plane was not a new aircraft, unlike the slew of incidents seen in recent months. An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-MAX 9 lost a door mid-flight in January, with several incident involving Boeing-made planes occurring since

United went on to reveal that it was the wing-to-body fairing that ripped off - a part is located on the underside of the aircraft where the wing meets the aircraft body.

The panel sits just adjacent to where the landing gear deploys, and serves as a protective shell between the wing and the fuselage.

According to the online flight tracker FlightAware, the flight took off from San Francisco International at 10:20am PDT, and landed in Oregon at 11:36am. 

The same aircraft, tail number N26226, was supposed to embark on a flight from Medord to Denver later in the day - a trip that has since been postponed due to the panel blowout. 

United brass acknowledged the delay in a statement to its website, saying: 'We're sorry for the delay. Our Maintenance team needs to service equipment on the exterior of your aircraft before we depart. 

'We'll keep you updated as we get more information'.

Just three days before, a Boeing plane was forced to land due to hydraulic fluid spewing from its landing gear area. It was also a United Flight.

Also under investigation, the forced landing happened as the San Francisco-bound 777-300 embarked from Sydney, with fluid filmed leaking from its undercarriage.

It also comes less than a week after a former Boeing staffer was found dead by an apparent suicide, while doing depositions for a suit he filed against the firm alleging he witnessed second-rate parts being fitted on planes.

After the incident last Monday - and another hours before that saw 50 passengers injured on the firm's flagship 787-Dreamliner - Boeing lost more than $4billion overnight. 

The FAA has since revealed the firm failed 33 of 89 audits during an exam of Boeing's 737 Max - a model it had been planning to update with the long delayed Max 10.

The incident comes just three days after another incident, where a Boeing plane was forced to land due to hydraulic fluid spewing from its landing gear area. Now being investigated, the technical failure also occurred in midair on a United flight

Meanwhile, ex Boeing Quality Manager John Barnett - who had been in the midst of a whistleblower retaliation suit against the manufacturer - was found dead from what police said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound Saturday, while meeting Boeing lawyers in South Carolina

Barnett was found dead inside his truck on Saturday in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn in Charleston, pictured above

A file photo show Boeing employees walk the company's new, flagship 787-10 Dreamliner down towards the delivery ramp at the company's facility in South Carolina

After the incident - and the several before - United Airlines requested the firm halt work on the unreleased jets: an apparent sign of carriers' diminishing faith.

The Boeing whistleblower found dead, 62-year-old John Barnett, had given stark warnings over the aviation giant's 787 Dreamliner and 737 Max models specifically in an interview, just weeks before his demise.

In the midst of a deposition in a whistleblower lawsuit in Charleston related to production of the 787 Dreamliner plane, Barnett was found with a 'self-inflicted' gunshot wound in the parking lot of a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating nine incidents this month alone involving United planes.