Boeing loses wheel on takeoff in San Francisco Boeing loses wheel on takeoff in San Francisco

A United Airlines Boeing 777 lost a wheel during takeoff from San Francisco. The plane with around 250 people on board, which was actually supposed to fly to Japan, landed in Los Angeles on Thursday (local time) without any problems. United emphasized that passenger planes are designed to land with missing or damaged tires. A Boeing 777 has six wheels under the wings on each side.

On the ground, the torn wheel damaged several cars in a parking lot next to the airport, as seen on TV footage. United said it would contact the owners and investigate the matter.

Boeing is currently in the spotlight after a virtually new 737-9 Max aircraft lost part of its fuselage while climbing after takeoff in early January. According to initial investigations, the American accident investigation authority NTSB believes that four mounting bolts were missing from the torn fuselage fragment. However, problems with tires constantly exposed to extreme loads occasionally occur on aircraft from various manufacturers and airlines. In January, a Boeing 757 lost a wheel shortly before takeoff from Atlanta, and in February an Airbus A319 had to land in Brazil with a missing tire. (sda/dpa)