On Monday, a United Airlines’ Boeing 757-200 was reported to have lost one of its wheels after departing from Los Angeles International Airport. Nevertheless, it managed to land safely at the planned destination in Denver.
United Airlines said in a statement, “We are currently looking into this issue as the wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles.”
All seven crew members and one hundred seventy-four passengers on board were unharmed while no injuries were reported on the ground
This is the most recent occurrence in which a Boeing plane operated by United Airlines loses its wheel after taking off. This came about when a tire fell from a Boeing 777 flying to Japan just after taking off from San Francisco before making an emergency landing.
In addition, Monday saw a settlement between Boeing and the US Department of Justice which resulted in it pleading guilty to fraud over two 737 MAX crashes. The aerospace company has come under increased scrutiny this year especially when an Alaska Airlines’ 737 MAX flight had a blowout of its fuselage door plug last January.
According to an official spokesperson for the Boeing Company who spoke yesterday, this particular aircraft which is believed to be manufactured around thirty years ago or circa 1994 was one among their older deliveries. In fact production of the 757 model ceased way back in 2004.
Currently, investigations for this incident are being handled by FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in USA.
