United flight from SFO loses tire during takeoff, diverted to LAX: video
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A United Airlines flight that took off from San Francisco International Airport has been diverted to Los Angeles International Airport after losing a tire during takeoff. According to flight tracking website FlightAware, the plane took off from San Francisco at 11:23 a.m. and was diverted to Los Angeles about 25 minutes later.
The flight, UA 35, was originally bound for Osaka, Japan, before losing a tire during takeoff, according to an SFO official. A runway at SFO was briefly closed but has since reopened with no further impact.
Multiple cars sustained damage as a result of the tire falling off the plane, airport officials confirmed. The tire landed on a surface parking lot used by airport employees.
KRON4’s Rob Nesbitt has more on the cars that were damaged by the fallen tire. Watch in the video player below.
According to United, there were 249 people on board: 235 passengers, 10 flight attendants, and four pilots. The aircraft, a Boeing 777, had six tires on each of its two main landing gear. It’s designed to land safely even if tires are missing or damaged.
“United Flight 35 lost one tire after takeoff from San Francisco and landed safely at LAX. We are arranging for a new aircraft to continue this trip for our customers,” a United Airlines spokesperson told KRON 4.
According to FlightAware, the plane landed safely at LAX at 1:27 p.m.
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