This is the terrifying moment a wheel drops from a packed Boeing during takeoff.
Shocking video shows how cars were damaged after the tyre dropped from the sky at an airport in San Francisco.
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United Airlines Flight UA35 from the US to Osaka, Japan was forced to land at Los Angeles International Airport in California on Thursday.
The Boeing 777 lost a wheel while taking off from San Francisco.
Emergency services were on standby at LAX Airport as the plane made an uneventful landing and stopped about two thirds of the way down a runway.
Firefighters confirmed there was no damage to the plane despite the missing tyre before it was then towed away.
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Footage from the ground showed cars lined up beside each other in a parking lot at the San Francisco International Airport, one of which was completely destroyed.
The car’s windows had been smashed and its side and trunk seemingly crushed by a heavy weight that came from above.
United Airlines said: “United flight 35 lost one tyre after takeoff from San Francisco and landed at LAX. Our team quickly arranged for a new aircraft to take customers to Osaka this evening.
“We’re grateful to our pilots and flight attendants for their professionalism in managing this situation.
“We will work with customers as well as with the owners of the damaged vehicles in SFO to ensure their needs are addressed.”
The flight carried 235 passengers, 10 flight attendants, and four pilots, United said.
The airline added that the plane, built in 2002, has six tyres on each of its two main landing gear struts.
Video of the flight departing showed the plane lose one of the six tyres on its left-side main landing gear assembly – only seconds after take-off.
United said the plane was designed to land safely with missing or damaged tyres.
Losing tyres is not indicative of a larger safety issue, according to aviation experts.
Alan Price, a former chief pilot for Delta Air Lines, said that a loose tire is normally a maintenance issue and not a problem created by the manufacturer.
Tyre debris landed in an on-airport employee parking lot at San Francisco International Airport, airport spokesman Doug Yakel said in a statement. No one was injured.
He said the runway was briefly closed to clear debris, but has since reopened.
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.
The incident comes after a Delta Airlines Boeing 747 lost a front tyre while taxiing towards a take-off runway.
Bound for Bogota, Colombia from Atlanta, Georgia, the plane had to be tugged off the runway.
Delta said in a statement at the time: “Delta Flight 982 ATL/BOG was taxiing for departure when a nose wheel tire came loose from the gear.”
The Boeing 757 that lost a tyre was 32 years old; the company stopped making the plane 20 years ago.
In early January, a door on a Boeing 737 with Alaska Airlines came off mid-flight.
Passengers were left terrified as the plane flew with a hole in its side.
The Federal Aviation Administration later grounded certain Boeing 737s with all airlines until proper inspections were completed.
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