A United Airlines flight departing from Los Angeles lost a tire during its takeoff; it was the second Boeing aircraft of theirs that lost a tire within four months.
Mid-Air Mishap
A part of the landing gear broke off a United Airlines jet airborne and fell in Los Angeles July 8, the second time in four months that such malfunction has occurred with this carrier.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the aircraft took off from the airport at about 7:16 a.m. and continued flying toward the Denver International Airport even after it lost one of the tires. There have been no reports of injuries aboard the aircraft or on the ground as it landed safely around 10:10 a.m.
The pilot of an Allegiant Airlines flight witnessed the occurrence and reported it promptly to air LAX air traffic control. According to authorities, the lost wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles. United Airlines says it is investigating what caused this event.
It was a nearly 30-year-old Boeing 757-200 which worldwide transported 174 passengers and seven crew members. The aerospace firm stopped production of the 757 in the year 2004.
In January, a Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 lost its nose wheel while the airliner was preparing for takeoff at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The passengers had to leave their plane after a nose wheel tire, and rim became loose and rolled down a hill.
On March 7, a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 jet flying to Japan lost one of its tires in the air after takeoff from San Francisco but managed to land without incident at Los Angeles International Airport. A piece of the wheel landed on the roof of a car in an airport employee parking lot, breaking a window, but nobody was hurt.
Also, in March, a United Airlines flight with 167 passengers made an emergency landing in Houston after bright flames suddenly emanated from one of the engines of United Flight 1118- an aircraft traveling from Houston to Fort Meyers, Florida.
Concerns surrounding the safety of Boeing planes have been circulating for years, especially after two crashes of its 737 Max jets killed 346 people in October 2018 and March 2019.
Dangers From Plane Debris
In aviation safety, aircraft may get involved in parts departing aircraft (PDA) or objects falling from airplanes (OFA). These can be as small as fasteners, like screws and rivets, or as large as subassemblies, including hatch covers and doors.
The root cause for the parts detached from the aircraft can be due to various factors. It can be a result of poor maintenance of the aircraft, aircraft aging, design-related problems, corrosion, and fatigue of the materials.
PDAs are a safety concern because they could lead to hazardous conditions to the airline crew, people and aircraft. According to European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), there are three main categories of potential consequences following PDA events that can be foreseen.
The falling parts of this aircraft can cause damage or reduce the functionality of the airplane and hence affect the occupants as well. These parts can also kill or seriously hurt people on the ground. Dropped parts, which reach the runway, may also harm other aircraft and cause damage to its occupants.
Check out more news and information on Boeing in Science Times.
