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A United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in California after a tyre fell off midflight and damaged several cars in a parking lot in San Francisco.
The incident occurred on Thursday at around 11.24am local time after the Boeing 777 took off from San Francisco International Airport. The passenger plane with 235 passengers and 14 crew members was bound for Japan.
Video of the incident showed one of the plane’s six wheels detaching and dropping off as the plane was taking off.
The plane was redirected to Los Angeles International Airport where fire engines stood on standby. The plane landed safely and stopped approximately two-thirds of the way down the runway, after which it was towed away, LAX airport officials said.
No one was injured, airport spokesman Doug Yakel said in a statement.
However, soon after the landing, it emerged that the loose tyre fell onto an employee car park at San Francisco International Airport.
Pictures from the scene showed several cars badly damaged by the impact with the side and back window panes of a silver Toyota Corolla car smashed. The cars were unoccupied at the time and no one was harmed.
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