As US aviation officials begin an investigation, a flight to London arrives safely. Moments after takeoff from Las Vegas, a British Airways plane lost a wheel. The incident was caught on a live airport video and has since received a lot of attention online. A wheel appears to separate from the aircraft and fall to the ground as Flight BA274, headed for London Heathrow, takes off at Harry Reid International Airport in the video. Despite the malfunction, the aircraft, an Airbus A350-1000, was observed continuing to rise.
Aviation Tracking Service Flightradar24 later reported that the right rear wheel of the aircraft’s main landing gear separated shortly after departure. The incident was captured on an automatic live broadcast at the airport.
Safe landing in London
Despite the catastrophic mishap, the plane finished its voyage and arrived safely at Heathrow more than nine hours later. There were no reports of injury to passengers or staff.
British Airways stated that safety remained its top priority and acknowledged that it was cooperating with investigators. “Safety and security underpin everything we do, and we’re supporting the authorities with their investigations,” the carrier told the BBC.
Authorities are investigating
Harry Reid International Airport said it was aware of the issue involving the British Airways airplane that left for London earlier this week. Airport officials reported that the aircraft landed without incident and that the detached tyre was recovered from the airfield. According to the airport, no property damage or injuries occurred on the ground. The Federal Aviation Administration announced that it had launched an investigation into the event.
