Micheal Chukwuebuka, Reporting
ON Thursday, a United Airlines flight lost one of its tires during takeoff from San Francisco, causing the Japan-bound plane to be diverted to Los Angeles.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, United Flight 35 landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport Thursday afternoon.
The flight, according to the San Francisco International Airport, lost a portion of the landing gear tire during takeoff at approximately 11:35 a.m.
The tire debris landed in an employee parking lot at the airport. No one was injured and the runway was briefly closed to clear debris, the airport said.
At least one car in the parking lot appeared to be damaged following the incident, sources revealed.
“We’re grateful to our pilots and flight attendants for their professionalism in managing this situation.
“We’re also grateful to our teams on the ground who were waiting with a tug to move the aircraft soon after it landed and to our teams in the airport who assisted customers upon their arrival,” United said in a statement.
United went on to say it will work with the owners of the damaged vehicles at the San Francisco International Airport to ensure their needs are addressed.
The tire was one of 12 on the Boeing 777-200’s two main landing gear struts, according to United.
“The aircraft is designed to land safely with missing or damaged tires,” United said.
The FAA said it will investigate the incident.
The flight was bound for Osaka. United said it arranged for a new aircraft to continue the trip for the passengers Thursday evening.
Stonix News gathered that there were 235 customers, 10 flight attendants and four pilots on board at the time of the incident.