Terrifying moment Boeing 757’s wheel bounces down runway after coming loose
Breathtaking footage shows the wheel of a Boeing 757 bouncing down the runway after becoming detached during take-off.
The United Airlines plane took off from Los Angeles on Monday when disaster struck: one of the landing gear wheels rolled across the tarmac.
Miraculously, the plane, carrying 174 passengers and seven crew members, landed safely in Denver despite the malfunction.
United Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement: “The wheel was recovered in Los Angeles and we are investigating the cause of this incident.”
This is the latest incident in a series of alarming problems surrounding the faulty Boeing aircraft.
Breathtaking footage shows the wheel of a Boeing 757 bouncing down the runway after becoming detached during takeoff
The United Airlines plane took off from Los Angeles on Monday when disaster struck: one of the landing gear wheels rolled across the tarmac.
It’s similar to an accident in March, when a United Boeing B777-200 jet lost a tire, this time after takeoff from San Francisco.
On March 7, the wheel crashed into a car in an airport staff parking lot.
In April, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 lost its engine cowling during takeoff.
And in January, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max suffered a broken door during flight.
This came just days after the company announced it would plead guilty to fraud in connection with the approval of its 737 Max before two of the planes crashed, killing 346 people off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia.
The US aerospace giant has apparently calculated that it is better to confess to a crime than to fight the charges and endure a lengthy public trial.
In a legal document filed late Sunday night, minutes before the midnight deadline, the Justice Department made the agreement public and said the fraud charge was “the most serious, readily provable offense” that could be brought against Boeing.
Prosecutors said Boeing must pay an additional $243.6 million in fines, equal to the fine the company paid in 2021 for the same crime.
The Justice Department says that if convicted of fraud, Boeing would be held liable for “false statements” the company made to regulators who certified the 737 Max in 2017.
The crashes occurred less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019.
The incident bears a striking resemblance to one that occurred in March, when a United Boeing 777-200 jet lost a tire, this time after takeoff from San Francisco (pictured above).
The company remains under investigation over the explosion of a panel on an Alaska Airlines Max plane in January, increased scrutiny by the Federal Aviation Administration and allegations from current and former employees of poor workmanship and retaliation against whistleblowers.
Boeing’s settlement brings the total to $487.2 million, the Justice Department said, the maximum amount legally awarded for the fraud charge.
The agreement also requires the company to invest at least $455 million to improve safety.
The case will be heard under court supervision for three years, and the Justice Department will appoint an independent monitor to oversee Boeing’s compliance with the terms of the settlement agreement.
Boeing’s board of directors will also speak with the victims’ families.