A United Airlines Boeing 757-200 suffered a loss of a wheel during takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport, prompting an investigation into the cause of the incident. The detached wheel miraculously landed on an airport employee’s vehicle in a parking lot, shattering a window but fortunately causing no harm to anyone.
The aircraft, which was carrying 174 passengers, was able to land safely in Denver without any further incident. According to FlightRadar24 data, the Boeing 757-200 is a 17-year-old plane that was no longer in production by 2004.
United Airlines has confirmed that the wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles and is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the loss. In a statement, the airline assured that safety is its top priority and is working to determine the root cause of the issue.
This latest incident follows a string of technical problems affecting Boeing aircraft, including a January incident where a door plug blew off an Alaskan Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 mid-flight. The company has also faced whistleblower complaints and a guilty plea to defrauding the government over the crashes of two 737 Max planes in 2018 and 2019, as revealed in a court filing on Sunday.
