Dallas To Paris Flight Chugs Along Despite Missing Panel:

American Airlines Inc. is investigating why a wide-body jet lost an exterior access panel shortly after it took off April 20 from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on its way to Paris.

The 3-foot by 6-foot panel, made of composite materials, apparently fell off the Boeing 767's belly as the aircraft was climbing past 10,000 feet.

In a message to American's pilots, managers said that the aircraft crew, which heard a noise and felt a brief vibration, could not identify the cause.

However, the crew, technicians and dispatch personnel determined it was safe to continue flying after no further problems were noted.

With all these airfare hikes, you'd think it wouldn't be too much to ask for your plane to stay in one piece during flight.