Tire falls off United Airlines flight after takeoff from San Francisco

(SAN FRANCISCO) — A United Airlines flight lost one of its tires during takeoff from San Francisco on Thursday, causing the Japan-bound plane to be diverted to Los Angeles, the airline said.

United Flight 35 landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport at 1:30 p.m. ET, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The flight lost a portion of the landing gear tire during takeoff at approximately 11:35 a.m. PT, according to the San Francisco International Airport. Footage from Cali Planes shows the tire falling off seconds after takeoff.

The tire debris landed in an employee parking lot at the airport. No one was injured and the runway was briefly closed to clear debris, the airport said. At least one car in the parking lot appeared to be damaged following the incident, footage shows.

“We’re grateful to our pilots and flight attendants for their professionalism in managing this situation,” United said in a statement. “We’re also grateful to our teams on the ground who were waiting with a tug to move the aircraft soon after it landed and to our teams in the airport who assisted customers upon their arrival.”

United said it will work with the owners of the damaged vehicles at the San Francisco International Airport “to ensure their needs are addressed.”

The tire was one of 12 on the Boeing 777-200’s two main landing gear struts, according to United.

“The aircraft is designed to land safely with missing or damaged tires,” United said.

The FAA said it will investigate the incident.

The flight was bound for Osaka. United said it arranged for a new aircraft to continue the trip for the passengers Thursday evening.

There were 235 customers, 10 flight attendants and four pilots on board at the time of the incident, United said.

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