“Passenger saw a wheel Fall Off!” — Boeing 777 Loses Wheel During Takeoff

On March 7, 2024, United Airlines Flight 35, a Boeing 777-200, departed San Francisco International Airport for Osaka, Japan. Shortly after takeoff from Runway 28R, the aircraft lost a wheel from its left main landing gear.

The detached wheel fell into an area near the airport and damaged three parked rental cars and a fence. An airfield safety employee was also injured while dealing with debris from the event.

The 777 crew did not immediately turn back to San Francisco. The aircraft retracted its landing gear and initially climbed toward its planned cruise altitude. After assessing the situation, the crew elected to divert to Los Angeles International Airport.

The choice of Los Angeles provided a suitable major airport for the abnormal landing. The aircraft proceeded toward LAX and eventually landed safely on Runway 25L. It was towed from the runway approximately twelve minutes later.

The FAA confirmed that the aircraft itself did not suffer significant airframe damage beyond the loss of the wheel. The incident therefore involved both an airborne aircraft-system problem and consequences on the ground beneath the departure path.

A missing landing-gear wheel is especially important during takeoff because the crew must consider what remains available for the subsequent landing. Once the aircraft is airborne and the gear is retracted, the immediate problem becomes less visible to the crew but can become significant again during gear extension and touchdown.

In this case, the crew had time to assess the situation and choose a diversion airport. The final landing was completed without further reported difficulty.

The event was first noticed in the most direct possible way: Passenger saw a wheel Fall Off!

Accident Facts

Recorded line: “Passenger saw a wheel Fall Off!”

Sources

the associated record — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAk2ScNIDLI

FAA / contemporary reporting on United Flight 35 wheel loss.