United Airlines plane loses wheel after takeoff for second time in months (original) (raw)

The unsettling incident happened on a 30-year-old Boeing 757 flight bound for Denver after it took off from Los Angeles International Airport early on Monday morning

United Airlines has faced criticism over a number of mishaps this year [stock]

A United Airlines plane lost a wheel as it was taking off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) - the second time it has happened in four months.

No damage was reported in this latest incident, involving a 30-year-old Boeing 757, and the company said in a statement that the wheel has since been recovered and an investigation is underway. A total of 174 passengers and seven crew members were onboard United Flight 1001, which departed LAX at around 7.15am on Monday.

The flight was bound for Denver and, unlike the last wheel loss in March, the pilots flew on to Denver where the plane landed at 10.10am without incident. A United Airlines spokesperson said: “We are investigating what caused this event” adding there were no reported injuries on the Boeing aircraft or on the ground.

Luckily the plane landed safely in Denver [stock] (

Image:

NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The concerned wife of one passenger on the flight exclaimed on X: "United Airlines @united @Boeing wheel fell off after take off from LAX this morning going to Longmont, Colorado! Is this another maintenance issue?! What the heck?! husband was on flight and texted me the pilot luckily landed the plane safely."

A Boeing 757 has eight tyres on the main landing gear and, according to PYOK, one reason for having so many is to continue to takeoff and land safely in case a tyre bursts or is lost. One major danger in losing a wheel during takeoff is damage caused to property below or people being hit by them.

In March, a United Airlines Boeing 777 en route to Japan lost a wheel mid-flight and had to make an emergency landing at LAX after being diverted from San Francisco. In a widely shared video on YouTube, the wheel could be seen breaking off the aircraft. Debris from the tyre fell over an employee parking lot and damaged a few vehicles.

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While another worrying incident for United Airlines earlier this year involved the panel from the underside of a 25-year-old Boeing 737-800 coming off during a flight from San Francisco to Oregon. The damage was only discovered after the plane landed safely in Portland, with the pilots seemingly unaware that anything was wrong with the aircraft.

Evan Smith, one of the 171 passengers on board, said: "There was a really loud bang towards the left rear of the plane and a woosh noise - and all of the air masks dropped. They said there was a kid in that row who had his shirt sucked off him and out of the plane and his mother was holding onto him to make sure he didn't go with it."