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United Airlines Boeing jet loses wheel after Los Angeles take-off

Boeing faces fresh safety concerns as a jetliner loses a wheel during takeoff from LA

United Airlines Boeing 757-200
United Airlines Boeing 757-200

Troubles continue to mount for the troubled American plane maker Boeing, with a wheel reportedly coming off from a Boeing jetliner while taking off from Los Angeles.

The incident, which took place on Monday, is the latest in a string of safety scares for the aerospace giant.

United Airlines, which operated the Boeing 757-200, said the plane lost the wheel after leaving Los Angeles International Airport but landed safely in Denver, its intended destination.

“The wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles, and we are investigating what caused this event,” the airline said in a statement, AFP reported.

No injuries were reported from the ground or the 174 passengers and seven crew members on board.

It was the second time in recent months that a Boeing plane operated by United Airlines lost a wheel after taking off.

In March, a Boeing 777 bound for Japan had a tire fall off shortly after take-off from San Francisco. The aircraft had to make an emergency landing.

Such incidents continue even as the aviation giant agreed on Monday to plead guilty to fraud in a settlement with the US Department of Justice over two fatal 737 MAX crashes.

The aerospace company has faced renewed scrutiny of the 737 MAX this year after a fuselage door plug blew out on the same model during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

The AFP report said a company spokesperson said in an email that the 757-200 aircraft that took off Monday was first delivered 30 years ago in 1994.

Production of the 757 model was discontinued in 2004. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating Monday’s incident.

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