Another United Airlines aircraft lost a wheel during takeoff, becoming the latest in a series of incidents that triggered a federal safety review of the carrier earlier this year.
United Flight 1001, en route to Denver from Los Angeles on Monday, lost one wheel upon departure from LAX shortly after 7:15 a.m. The Boeing 757-200 touched down safely in Denver shortly after 10 a.m., a United Airlines spokesperson shared with USA TODAY.No injuries, to the 174 passengers and flight crew onboard, or on the ground have been reported, Bloomberg reported.
“The wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles, and we are investigating what caused this event,” United Airlines said. Additional details about the rogue wheel were not immediately availableA similar incident occurred in March, when another plane headed overseas diverted after it lost a wheel after takeoff. That tire fell off and crashed into a parking lot, damaging several cars, USA TODAY reported.
United Airlines is still in a position of “increased oversight” over the reported incidents, which includes an engine fire, stuck rudder pedals and other missing or damaged parts that prompted the agency to conduct an in-depth examination of an airline’s operations, Ian Gregor, FAA spokesperson told USA TODAY on Monday.
The FAA is aware of the incident that unfolded in Los Angeles, and the agency will also be investigating Monday’s incident. Rare’ to lose a plane tire, aviation expert says
David Evans, who is also an FAA-certificated airline transport pilot and flight instructor, previously told USA TODAY, that the loss of a plane tire is a “rare incident.”
“From time to time, this sort of thing does happen but it’s usually uneventful at the end of the day,” Evans said.
Timeline: United Airlines reported incidents, events Here’s a breakdown of the incidents reported by United Airlines so far this year, the events that led the FAA to “step up its presence” in the first place.
No injuries to passengers or flight crews were reported in connection with the incidents listed below.
July 8: Boeing 757-200 loses while on takeoff, but lands safely
March 18: United Airlines CEO authors letter acknowledging “recent issues”
March 15: Missing panel discovered on Boeing 737-800
March 8: Boeing 737 Max 8 tilted and rolled onto the grass causes evacuation
March 7: Boeing 777-200 diverted after tire falls off, damaging several parked cars
March 4: Engine fire mid-flight prompts emergency landing
Feb. 21: “Security issue” onboard prompts emergency landing.
Feb. 19: Boeing 757-200 was diverted over damaged wing
Feb 6: Boeing 737 Max 8 had “stuck” rudder pedals on its landing roll, was replaced and serviced for repair Kirby went on to say that the team was “reviewing the details of each case to understand what happened and using those insights to inform our safety training and procedures across all employee groups” in addition to changes that were already planned for the spring. Scott Kirby, United Airlines CEO, acknowledged the issues at the airline in a March letter to customers.
“Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, our airline has experienced a number of incidents that are reminders of the importance of safety,” Kirby said. “While they are all unrelated, I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus.”