United Airlines flight loses wheel off Boeing plane, but lands safely

There were no injuries reported on the ground or on board Flight 1001, United said, adding that it was investigating what happened.

The United plane was carrying 174 passengers and seven crew members, the statement said. The aircraft used in the flight was 29 years old, according to Flightradar24. Boeing ended production of 757 planes in 2004.

While Boeing has been at the center of several high-profile mishaps this year, including lost wheels, engine failures and blown-out door plugs, aviation experts stress that flying is incredibly safe and that fatal accidents are rare. Boeing has said it has “taken important steps to foster a safety culture.” Incidents like this may not necessarily be the responsibility of the manufacturer, but rather that of the airline that operates and maintains the aircraft.

In March, a Japan-bound United flight from San Francisco was diverted to L.A. after losing a wheel during takeoff, with debris landing in an employee parking lot at San Francisco International Airport and damaging several vehicles. No one on the aircraft, a Boeing 777-200, was injured.

In April, an engine cover of a Southwest Boeing 737-800 plane fell off during takeoff, striking a wing flap, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The plane immediately returned to Denver International Airport. No injuries were reported. And in January, the door plug on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max aircraft blew out while it was ascending over Portland, Ore., leaving a hole in the side of the fuselage and forcing an emergency landing. None of the passengers were seriously injured, although some claimed physical injuries and emotional trauma in a lawsuit against Boeing.