A Boeing 777’s Tire Falls Off a United Airlines Flight in San Francisco

A Boeing 777’s tire fell off during a United Airlines flight in San Francisco on Thursday morning. The flight departed from San Francisco International Airport and was bound for Osaka, Japan. But because of the incident, the flight was diverted to Los Angeles. 

The incident happened at 11:24 AM with the flight carrying 235 passengers and 14 crew members. Footage from Cali Planes showed the tire falling off the plane seconds after taking off. 

Although the Boeing 777’s tire that fell off damaged cars in the employee parking lot, there were no reported injuries. Also, the runway was cleared of possible debris according to the airport’s spokesperson Doug Yakel. Apart from this, the operations of the airport were not further affected. 

Redirected to Los Angeles

Firefighters were on standby when it was redirected to Los Angeles International Airport. According to LAX officials, the plane ended up stopping two-thirds of the runway before it was towed. The plane landed safely. 

According to United Airlines’ statement, “We’re grateful to our pilots and flight attendants for their professionalism in managing this situation.” It added, “We’re also grateful to our teams on the ground who were waiting with a tug to move the aircraft soon after it landed and to our teams in the airport who assisted customers upon their arrival.” 

United also clarified in its statement that it is going to contact the owners of the affected vehicles at the San Francisco International Airport “to ensure their needs are addressed.”

One of the 12 Tires

The Boeing 777’s tire which fell was one of the 12 tires of the aircraft. Fortunately, United said, “The aircraft is designed to land safely with missing or damaged tires.”

Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Tony Molinaro said that the agency is going to investigate the incident. 

According to aviation experts, tires coming loose are rare and doesn’t indicate a larger safety issue.