A United Airlines plane sought an emergency landing after one of its tyres fell during takeoff on Thursday. The aircraft bound for Japan was diverted to Los Angeles after the risky incident occurred while taking off from San Francisco. The United Flight 35 landed safely at the Los Angeles International Airport at 1:30 pm ET, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
United Airlines plane loses tyre during takeoff
Damaged cars are seen in an on-airport employee parking lot after tire debris from a Boeing 777 landed on them at San Francisco International Airport, Thursday, March 7, 2024. A United Airlines jetliner bound for Japan made a safe landing in Los Angeles on Thursday after losing a tire while taking off from San Francisco. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)(AP)
At around 11:35 am, the plane lost a portion of the landing gear, according to ABC News. The footage from the incident shows the plane losing one of its six tyres on the left side just seconds after takeoff. The debris from the incident left multiple vehicles damaged as the tyre landed at the airport’s employee parking lot. The airport said that there were no resulting injuries to anyone near the runway.
We’re grateful to our pilots and flight attendants for their professionalism in managing this situation,” the airlines said of the incident. “We’re also grateful to our teams on the ground who were waiting with a tug to move the aircraft soon after it landed and to our teams in the airport who assisted customers upon their arrival,” the statement from United Airlines added.
At the time of the incident, the aircraft was carrying 235 passengers, 10 flight attendants, and four pilots on board. The airline also said that it will work with the owners of the damaged vehicles “to ensure their needs are addressed.” The statement further clarified that “the aircraft is designed to land safely with missing or damaged tyres.”
This comes a day after another United flight made an emergency landing after its engine erupted in flames. On Monday, the Florida-bound Boeing aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Texas shortly after the jet engine started emitting flames.