Posted on 01/29/2026 8:18:23 AM PST by DFG
Wild video shows a wheel falling off a British Airways flight just after it took off from a Las Vegas airport.
Flight BA274 had just taken off from Harry Reid International Airport en route to the UK at around 8:45 p.m. Monday when sparks could be seen flying out of the right landing gear.
As the plane started to ascend, it retracted its landing gear — just for one of the wheels to fall off and onto the runway.
Despite the scare, the flight continued and “landed safely” at London Heathrow Airport nine hours later, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
The wheel was later recovered from the airport’s airfield, airport officials told PEOPLE.
No one was injured, and it isn’t clear if passengers were even aware of the issue.
Every A350-1000 model features two main landing gear units, each with six wheels, making a total of 12 main wheels plus two in the front for the nose gear.
“Safety and security underpins everything we do, and we’re supporting the authorities with their investigation,” a British Airways spokesperson told The Post.
The FAA said the incident is under investigation.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I spent more than a decade flight-testing experimental “stuff” on small aircraft. Airliners are boring. For that matter, rollercoasters aren’t particularly exciting ...
I can get airsick, but it takes some outrageously extreme conditions ...
The little ones are the only ones I’ve seen up close.
That’s what happened to kamikaze planes in WW2. They fell off and a runner would retrieve them-put them on the next plane. They didn’t need landing gear where they were going.
“Safety and security underpins everything we do, and we’re supporting the authorities with their investigation,” a British Airways spokesperson told The Post. I’d say a little corrective action might be in order.
“Thank you for flying Conair”.
I flew quite a bit between 1981 and 2012. I experienced aircraft motion that could have triggered motion sickness in me 10 - 12 times.
The worst was when I flew into SFO in 1998 just after they re-opened the airport following high winds. The aircraft, a 737, was bouncing up and down while yawing side to side. Basically spiraling in.
As the flight attendants walked from the rear for deplaning, I heard the chief attendant tell the others that the captain had told her to prepare to ditch in the bay.
Good one!.......LOL!
Stoned maintenance forgot to tighten lug nuts.
Winner!
A350s have carbon fiber fuselage. Higher cabin pressure = less fatigue supposedly.
Just like the Titan submersible?
Two wheels can be totally shredded and the plane will be fine. Redundancy is designed in to every part of passenger aircraft.
“What’s this bolt for?”
Thanks.
Tighten those damned lug nuts next time!
I hate when the wheels fall off of my plane.
you picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel
____________________________________________________
Very clever, Sir.
“Just like the Titan submersible?”
Exactly. Just put a big LOx tank in the baggage compartment and fly it to Mars.
For close to 20 years we had one delivery person. She was an American citizen and was a nice person. Our mail would be in our mailbox between 1300L and 1330L nearly every day.
She retired a couple years ago and we have had a series of foreign delivery men who deliver anytime they feel like it. We have had deliveries from as early as 0900L to as late as 2000L.
Our current one barely speaks English.
Wow! What are the odds?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.