On March 8th, according to reports from CCTV News, on March 7th local time, a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 aircraft flying from San Francisco to Osaka, Japan, lost a tire during flight and diverted to Los Angeles for an emergency landing 25 minutes after takeoff.
The incident resulted in a brief closure of a runway at San Francisco International Airport, which was later reopened.
A video captured by a netizen shows the scene of the incident. Shortly after takeoff, one tire from the left main landing gear of the aircraft fell off.
As the aircraft had not yet left the airport area, the tire fell onto the ground parking lot, causing damage to multiple cars.
With the aircraft already reaching speeds exceeding 300 km/h during takeoff, and the tire falling from a height, it possessed significant kinetic energy, causing extensive damage to cars in the parking lot.
United Airlines responded, stating that there were a total of 249 people on board the aircraft, including 235 passengers, 10 cabin crew, and 4 pilots, with no reported injuries at present.
The aircraft involved is a Boeing 777-200ER wide-body aircraft with registration number N226UA, and it is 22 years old.
According to a captain, incidents of tires falling off during flight are relatively rare. If only one tire is lost from the main landing gear of a Boeing 777 aircraft and it does not affect the operation of other systems, the crew can reduce weight for landing by circling to consume fuel or by fuel jettisoning.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that on January 5th this year, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft experienced an emergency when an emergency cabin door suddenly detached shortly after takeoff, prompting an immediate return and emergency landing.
Since the beginning of this year, there have been several safety incidents involving Boeing aircraft, but fortunately, no casualties have been reported.
