Tire Separates From Boeing 777, Crushes Cars In San Francisco Parking Lot

One day after a United Airlines’ Boeing 737 from Houston to Fort Myers experienced a dramatic mid-flight engine fire, a United jet heading to Japan from San Francisco lost a tire during takeoff that fell from the sky and crushed vehicles. 

United Airlines Flight 35, an Oska-bound Boeing 777-200 with 249 souls on board, experienced a landing gear malfunction that caused a tire to separate from the widebody jet. The tire fell several hundred feet and then crushed vehicles in a parking lot at San Francisco International Airport. 

Flight tracking website RadarBox reposted a video on X that captured the moment the tire separated from the plane’s landing gear. 

Full HD video of United flight UA35 taking off from San Francisco and losing a wheel ✈️ https://t.co/VzHSi2NB9T

— RadarBox (@RadarBoxCom) March 8, 2024

“The 777-200 has six tires on each of its two main landing gear struts. The aircraft is designed to land safely with missing or damaged tires,” United Airlines told Bloomberg in a statement. 

Images of the crushed vehicle were posted on X. 

Here’s the car smooshed by the United wheel at SFO. You can see the rubber smudge, and the circular imprint of the tire. pic.twitter.com/rue3ttai2u

— Wilson Walker (@WilsonKPIX) March 7, 2024

The 777 was able to divert and land safely at Los Angeles International Airport shortly after takeoff. 

🚨 UPDATE: United Airlines Flight 35 from San Francisco to Osaka, Japan is now back on the ground after LOSING A WHEEL upon takeoff

The Boeing 777-222ER diverted to Los Angeles and was met by emergency crews on the runway

The falling wheel caused HUGE damage to cars and… https://t.co/9mQfrWwPN7 pic.twitter.com/1zp0pLOLkR

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 7, 2024

Meanwhile, United Flight 1118 suffered an engine malfunction over Texas on Wednesday. 

🇺🇸 BOEING SUFFERS ANOTHER MID-AIR ENGINE FIRE

The United Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing in Texas minutes after take-off when flames began shooting from one of its engines.

This is the second mid-air engine fire to affect Boeing in the U.S this year, after a… https://t.co/HxaPH1RHeB pic.twitter.com/SKbHofwcZj

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 7, 2024

The incompetency crisis continues for Boeing.