United Airlines loses wheel during take-off in Los Angeles

UNITED BOEING 757-222 N545UA (MSN 25323)

A United Airlines jet lost a landing gear wheel during takeoff from Los Angeles (LAX/KLAX) but managed to land safely at its intended destination in Denver (DEN/KDEN) without any injuries, according to the airline. United Flight 1001 took off from Los Angeles International Airport at approximately 7:15 a.m. and landed in Denver shortly after 10 a.m.

"United has retrieved the wheel in Los Angeles and is conducting an investigation into the cause of this event," the airline stated on Monday. This marks the second occurrence of its kind for the airline within the year.

The plane involved in Monday's incident was a Boeing 757-200, a 30-year-old aircraft, carrying 174 passengers and 7 crew members. (Boeing ceased the production of the 757 model in 2004.)

In a similar incident in March, a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 jet en route to Japan lost a tire mid-flight after departing from San Francisco, yet it landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport. The tire fell onto a car in an airport employee parking lot, shattering a window, but fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Monday's event is the most recent in a series of mishaps involving United Airlines aircraft. In March, one plane had to execute an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport due to a hydraulic system malfunction. In the same month, a different flight veered off the taxiway while trying to land in Houston and ended up on the grass.

Additionally, in March, a United flight with 167 passengers onboard was forced to make an emergency landing in Houston after flames were seen erupting from the engine of the Boeing 737-900, which was flying from Houston to Fort Myers, Florida.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: United Airlines

Code: UA/UAL

Aircraft: Boeing 757-224

Registration: N14107

Serial number: 27297

Engines: 2 x RR RB211-535E4B
First flew: 05/10/1994
Age: 29.8 Years