Woman on a flight asks if she should be worried. She looks out of the window and sees a screw sticking out of the wing: ‘the less you know the better’

A woman flying on a commercial plane filmed herself looking out the window after spotting what appeared to be a loose screw sticking out of the wing. The video, posted by TikTok user Paulina Perez (@pauulinaperez), has been viewed 26.1 million times and received about 2 million likes and nearly 6,000 comments.

In the TikTok clip, the woman is shown from the chest up, sitting by the window with dark hair, light eyes, and a light purple top. On-screen text reads, “guys be honest should i be worried,” while she looks outside and touches her lips. The video has no audio.

The camera then shows the airplane wing through the window. The wing has rows of rivets, black markings, and two large arrows pointing toward the back, along with the words “NO STEP.” The camera zooms in on a section near a curved black line, where a small metallic object resembling a pin or bolt appears to stick out slightly from the surface. Perez captioned the video, “they better drill that back in now.”

Aviation experts say missing or loose fasteners are common and usually not dangerous

The video drew a wide range of reactions in the comments section, including from people who identified themselves as aviation professionals. One commenter, claiming to be an aircraft mechanic, wrote, “I’m an aircraft mechanic. It’s alright guys it’s one screw out of probably 30 that are supposed to be on that panel. 29 will hold just fine. Also there’s a adhesive seal on that panel.”

Another commenter took a more cautious tone, simply writing, “As a pilot no.” A separate comment argued that the outcome depends on the pattern of any missing fasteners, stating, “technically as long as no two in sequence are like that it’s air worthy.” One commenter referenced the “First rule” that “if the video is posted, the creator is ok,” while another joked, “final destination is just a movie.”

This question, how many fasteners a plane can lose before it becomes a safety issue, has also been discussed on Stack Exchange. According to a response on the site from a user named Dave, there is no single answer, since it depends on the specific fastener and aircraft involved, and pressurized aircraft add another layer of complexity.

Dave’s answer pointed to the 2014 case involving Delta Air Lines flight 2412, where the aircraft lost a wing panel during flight without a resulting accident, reported by ABC News. The same answer noted that other fasteners are far more critical to flight safety, citing the “Jesus nut,” a term used for a single retaining nut on some helicopters that holds the rotor system in place.

Dave added that fasteners on stationary parts do not create the same imbalance risks as those on spinning parts, such as a propeller spinner, and that loose fasteners can become a hazard if they are pulled into an engine, an issue he compared to the circumstances of the 2000 Air France Flight 4590 accident. For the airline, concerns about maintenance and hygiene are not uncommon, as a separate incident involved a woman asking if airplane blankets were washed between flights. 

Another user on the forum, Sergey, wrote that the allowed number of missing fasteners depends on the type of aircraft. Sergey said permanent fasteners are typically required to be replaced when missing, but noted that some aircraft are permitted to operate with a limited number of missing fasteners in specific areas, such as belly fairings, for a limited period of time.

A separate response on the forum offered a different take, arguing that losing wing fasteners would not affect the aircraft unless loose panels or hardware entered an engine. That response described the wings as welded and forming the aircraft’s primary structure, comparing them to a skeleton, and said the outer panels cover fuel tanks, wiring, anti-icing systems, and mechanical components linked to the ailerons.

The same response stated that losing a panel in flight would mainly increase drag and cause a minor imbalance, requiring the flight crew to adjust speed to avoid further damage, and added that in many commercial aircraft, the wing shape limits pressure on the upper surface enough that drag may not be a significant factor at all. Wing damage can have varying consequences, as seen when a flight clipped a structure during landing, tearing a hole in the plane’s side. 

Reacting to the video, one commenter wrote, “the less you know the better.” Another commenter added, “I would’ve asked to get off the plane.” Some viewers pointed to their own experience in the field. One wrote, “Airline mechanic here, that’s completely normal and inspected regularly.” Others responded with humor rather than concern. One comment read, “bro zoomed in like he was solving a crime.”