- Safiu Kehinde
A British Airway plane has left many in panic after one of its wheels fell off mid-air during flight.
This was captured in a video shared on X on Tuesday.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday night at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport where the aircraft had taken off for a trip to London Heathrow airport.
The video showed moment a segment of the aircraft’s landing gear wheels dropped off before the rest were tucked into their compartment.
Subsequent post on Flightradar 24 further identified the fallen part of the A350-1000 aircraft as its right rear wheel.
The air traffic monitoring platform however confirmed that the flight continued and had a safe landing in London.
“Last night, while departing Las Vegas, British Airways flight BA274 lost one of its main landing gear wheels.
“The separation of the right, rear wheel from the A350-1000 was captured on our automated live stream at the airport. The flight continued for a safe landing in London.” The post read.
However, the video had sparked concern from netizens on account of the potential risk such development attracts.
While the aircraft was confirmed to have safely landed despite the scare, netizens called for timely maintenance of aircrafts by airlines.
“That wheel weighs roughly 250kg. It is fortunate that it landed safely on the runway and did not crush a vehicle. This should serve as a wake-up call for airlines to ensure timely maintenance is performed on aircrafts, even if it reduces profits.”@jetfairuk
“I imagine the British are used to crossing the Atlantic with incomplete aircraft. See also this: British Airways Flight 268 (Boeing 747-400) experienced an engine failure (engine surge with flames in engine number 2) shortly after takeoff from Los Angeles (LAX) on February 20, 2005. The pilots shut it down and continued flying with the remaining three engines over the USA, Canada, and across the Atlantic towards London. Due to increased fuel consumption (unfavorable winds, lower altitude), the aircraft had to make an emergency landing in Manchester (MAN) – all 370 people arrived safely. No further damage or injuries. Perhaps next time we’ll see one without a left or right wing.” @MaiPenRaiwa
“Shocking that didn’t even turn back to pick up their trash…”@kbbcn