Japanese authorities are investigating an incident in which a "piece of fairing" fell from a KLM Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, damaging a car on the ground below.

The incident took place on on Saturday 23 September as the aircraft operated flight KL868 on the Osaka-Amsterdam route, and involved a 1sqm "piece of fairing,", says KLM in a statement.

It says nobody was injured, and that the aircraft continued the flight as planned, landing safely in Amsterdam.

Images on social media show a panel consistent with the livery of KLM's 777-200ERs, with a dark blue line sandwiched between the white of the lower fuselage and light blue of the upper fuselage.

"KLM regrets this incident and has immediately launched an investigation into the causes," says the carrier. "KLM is in close contact with the Japanese Civil Aviation Authority and Boeing on this matter."

Flight tracking sites indicate that aircraft involved bears registration PH-BQC.

Flight Fleets Analyzer indicates that the aircraft is managed by Arena Aviation Capital. It was delivered to KLM in January 2003, and is powered by General Electric GE90-94B engines.

Source: Cirium Dashboard