Bullet holes found on American Airlines 737 MAX 8 after Colombia flight; aircraft grounded in Dallas

As reported by Airlive.net, an American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 has been removed from service after maintenance crews discovered bullet holes in the aircraft’s right aileron following a flight from Colombia.

The aircraft, registered N342SX, operated Flight AA923 from Miami International Airport to José María Córdova International Airport in Medellin on February 22, 2026, before returning the next day as Flight AA924. After landing in Miami at approximately 10:24 on February 23 and completing passenger deplaning, routine post-flight inspection revealed puncture damage to the right aileron — a primary flight control surface governing roll.

The aircraft had cruised at FL360 during the three-hour Caribbean sector and landed without incident. The source of the gunfire remains under investigation, with attention focused on either ground exposure while parked overnight in Medellín or possible low-altitude phases of flight during arrival or departure.

Following the discovery, technicians applied temporary structural patches in Miami before ferrying the aircraft on a non-commercial repositioning flight AA1813 to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, American’s main maintenance base. The aircraft remains grounded while engineers conduct detailed inspections to determine whether internal systems — including hydraulics and flight-control wiring — sustained secondary damage.

The incident has prompted security and operational scrutiny but resulted in no reported injuries and no in-flight anomalies.