United Airlines Boeing 757 Loses Wheel During Takeoff From Los Angeles… Yes, It’s A NEW Problem

United Airlines has confirmed that a wheel fell off a nearly 30-year-old Boeing 757 early Monday morning as it took off from Los Angeles International Airport.

The incident comes less than five months after a wheel fell off a United Airlines Boeing 777 as it took off from San Francisco International Airport. In that incident, the giant wheel fell onto an employee parking lot, crushing several cars.

In this latest incident, no damage has yet been reported and United Airlines said in a statement that the wheel has been recovered and an investigation is underway.

United Flight 1001, which took off from LAX around 7:15 a.m. on July 8, was bound for Denver with 174 passengers and seven crew members. Unlike the wheel loss in March, the pilots continued on to Denver, where the plane landed without incident.

The 757 has the same size main landing gear tires as Boeing’s 737 model, but the aircraft manufacturer has doubled the number of tires on each bogie, meaning the 757 has a total of eight tires on the main landing gear.

One of the reasons there are so many tires is precisely to ensure that in case a tire bursts or is lost, the plane can continue to take off and land safely.

In fact, one of the biggest dangers associated with losing a wheel during takeoff is the people and property on the ground that could be struck by a falling tire.

United Airlines has come under increased scrutiny in recent months due to a series of disturbing accidents and mishaps, including the loss of aircraft parts in flight. Also in March, a 25-year-old Boeing 737-800 had a panel ripped off the underside of a flight from San Francisco to Oregon.

The damage was not discovered until after the plane landed at Rogue Valley International Airport/Medford, and the pilots did not appear to know anything was wrong with the plane.

And last month, a United Airlines Airbus A320 reportedly dropped engine parts during takeoff from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Last March, United CEO Scott Kirby was forced to address the airline’s recent safety record in an open letter to frequent flyers, saying that “safety is our top priority and is at the heart of everything we do.”

Around the same time, the FAA opened an investigation into the carrier’s safety practices and temporarily barred United from opening new routes or certifying new planes while the audit was underway.

In a statement, a United Airlines spokesperson told us: “United Flight 1001 landed safely in Denver after losing a wheel on takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport.”

“The wheel was found in Los Angeles and we are investigating the cause of this incident.”

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