A Boeing jet taking off from Los Angeles lost a wheel on Monday, the latest in a series of safety scares for the aviation giant. United Airlines, which operated the Boeing 757-200, said the plane lost a wheel after leaving Los Angeles International Airport but landed safely in Denver, its intended destination. “The bike was found in Los Angeles and we are investigating what caused this incident,” the airline said in a statement. No injuries were reported from the ground or from the 174 passengers and seven crew on board. It was the second time in recent months that a Boeing aircraft operated by United Airlines lost a wheel after takeoff.
In March, a Boeing 777 bound for Japan suffered a flat tire shortly after takeoff from San Francisco. The plane had to make an emergency landing. Boeing agreed Monday to plead guilty to fraud in a settlement with the U.S. Boeing faced renewed scrutiny of the 737 MAX this year after a fuselage door plug broke on the same model during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. A Boeing spokesman said in an email that the 757-200 that took off Monday was first delivered 30 years ago in 1994. Production of the 757 ended in 2004.
