United Airlines plane loses wheel on takeoff in Los Angeles, marking latest incident for the airline
The Boeing 757-200 that lost its wheel completed its planned flight to Denver, where it safely landed, United said. No injuries were reported on the ground.
There were 174 customers and seven crewmembers on board, the airline said.
“The wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles, and we are investigating what caused this event,” the airline said in a statement. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating.
The incident comes months after another United Airlines flight lost a wheel while taking off from San Francisco International Airport, damaging several cars in a parking lot.
That plane, which was headed for Osaka, Japan, landed safely in Los Angeles, officials said at the time. No injuries were reported.
The incident was one of at least a dozen involving United Airlines flights in March, according to a CNN analysis, prompting CEO Scott Kirby to send a safety message to customers.
At the time, he said the incidents were “unrelated,” but “have our attention and have sharpened our focus.”
That same month, the FAA began a safety review of the airline, according to a memo from United.
“Over the next several weeks, we will begin to see more of an FAA presence in our operation as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities,” United said in a memo to employees obtained by CNN. The review means an “even closer look at multiple areas of our operation to ensure we are doing all we can to promote and drive safety compliance.”
In a statement at the time, the FAA said its “safety assurance system routinely monitors all aspects of an airline’s operation. It focuses on an airline’s compliance with applicable regulations; ability to identify hazards, assess and mitigate risk; and effectively manage safety.”
CNN’s Gregory Wallace, Samantha Delouya, Taylor Romine and Sara Smart contributed to this report.
The Boeing 757-200 incident has raised concerns among United's customers, leading CEO Scott Kirby to send a safety message to them.
Regardless of the causes, United has emphasized the importance of safety compliance, integrating an even closer FAA review into their operation due to multiple incidents, as stated in their employee memo.
