A panel tore off a British Airways plane in mid-air and damaged two cabin windows, forcing the pilot to return to Gatwick.
The BA Boeing 777 to Antigua turned back as a precaution when a piece of the fuselage came loose 15 minutes after take-off as the craft flew 6,000ft above Dorking, Surrey, yesterday.
A BA spokeswoman said the metal access panel caused superficial damage to two, three-layered windows near the back of the aircraft. The outer layer of one of the windows had cracked and the other was scratched.
The spokeswoman said: "The captain landed safely and the aircraft is being inspected. We have to inform the Air Accident Investigation Bureau."
The 264 passengers on board were put up in hotels at the airport overnight as there was no replacement aircraft available.
They are due to take another flight to Antigua this morning.
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