A United Airlines flight bound for Japan was forced to land at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after losing a tire shortly after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Thursday, New York Post reported.
United Airlines confirmed the incident, which involved one of its Boeing 777-200 aircraft, according to the New York Post. The incident happened as the plane took off. Footage captured the moment the aircraft, carrying 235 passengers along with flight attendants and four pilots, lost one of its six tires. The tire’s descent caused damage to several cars in an employee parking lot at SFO.
BREAKING: United Airlines Boeing 777 loses tire while taking off from San Francisco, crushing cars on the ground pic.twitter.com/uXpHuFdzul
— BNO News (@BNONews) March 7, 2024
Despite the tire loss, the aircraft managed a safe landing at LAX, the outlet stated. United Airlines reassured that the plane is equipped to land safely even when a tire is missing or damaged. There were no reported injuries, and the affected runway at SFO was briefly closed for debris clearance before reopening. (RELATED: ‘We Have An Emergency’: Plane Forced To Land After Losing Door During Flight)
This incident marks the third time in a single week that United Airlines has encountered mid-air issues with Boeing aircraft. Earlier in the week, a Boeing 737-900 experienced an engine fire shortly after takeoff in Texas, and another flight, from Honolulu to San Francisco, dealt with engine failure over the Pacific Ocean, New York Post reported.
Recent months have seen Boeing facing various issues, including a door plug detachment mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines plane and discovered production process mishaps in its Max 9 jets. These incidents have drawn scrutiny from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which criticized Boeing’s safety culture, according to the New York Post.