The plane nevertheless landed safely at its destination, Denver, United Airlines said on Monday (local time). “The wheel was recovered in Los Angeles and we are investigating the cause of the incident,” United Airlines said.
There were no injuries among the 174 passengers and seven crew members. This was the second time in a matter of months that a wheel fell off a United Airlines Boeing. In March, a 777 aircraft lost its wheel shortly following takeoff in San Francisco, and the pilot decided to make an emergency landing.
Boeing under pressure
Boeing has been under a lot of pressure for some time due to allegations of safety defects in its aircraft. An incident in January caused a particularly big stir when a cabin door cover fell off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 during flight, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing. On Monday, the US aviation authority FAA also ordered inspections of more than 2,600 Boeing 737 aircraft due to possible problems with the oxygen supply in the event of an emergency.
