A United Airlines jet lost a landing gear wheel during takeoff from Los Angeles but safely landed in Denver, the airline announced. No injuries were reported, and an investigation is underway.
“The wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles, and we are investigating what caused this event,” United Airlines stated on Monday. This marks the second such incident for the airline this year.
The aircraft involved, a nearly 30-year-old Boeing 757-200, was carrying 174 passengers and 7 crew members. Boeing ceased production of the 757 in 2004.
Earlier this year, in March, a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 lost a tire mid-air after taking off from San Francisco. It landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport, despite the wheel falling onto a car in an airport employee parking lot, breaking a window but causing no injuries.
Monday’s incident is part of a series of recent issues involving United Airlines planes. In March, another aircraft made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport due to a hydraulic system problem. That same month, a flight rolled off the taxiway while attempting to land in Houston, and another flight carrying 167 passengers made an emergency landing in Houston after engine flames burst out mid-flight.
Earlier this year, US flight issues gained attention when an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 had a door plug blow off mid-air after taking off from Portland, Oregon, forcing an emergency landing and injuring several people.
In April, United Airlines reported a $200 million hit to its earnings in the first quarter, partially blaming the Alaska Airlines incident, which led to grounding many of its Boeing planes, contributing to the losses.
