A Boeing 757-200 operated by United Airlines lost a wheel after taking off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) but landed safely in Denver, with no injuries reported among the 174 passengers and seven crew members on board. This marks the second such incident involving a Boeing aircraft in recent months.
United Airlines confirmed that the wheel detached shortly after departure from LAX and was later recovered. “We are investigating what caused this event,” the airline said in a statement.
In a similar incident in March, a Boeing 777 operated by United Airlines lost a tire after taking off from San Francisco en route to Japan, necessitating an emergency landing.
Boeing has faced increased scrutiny this year following safety concerns with the 737 MAX, including a fuselage door plug issue on an Alaska Airlines flight in January. The aerospace giant recently agreed to plead guilty to fraud in a settlement with the US Department of Justice related to two fatal 737 MAX crashes.
The Boeing 757-200 involved in Monday’s incident was delivered in 1994. Production of this model was discontinued in 2004.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident.
Image Caption: A Boeing logo is seen at the company’s technology and engineering center in Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. (Reuters / Gabriel Araujo)
