A Boeing plane lost a wheel while taking off from Los Angeles Airport on Monday, in a new episode in a series of setbacks and technical malfunctions accumulated by the giant American group in the field of aircraft manufacturing.
The American airline United Airlines, which operated the plane, confirmed the accident, noting in a statement that “the wheel was recovered in Los Angeles, and we are conducting an investigation to clarify the cause of what happened.”
The plane, a Boeing 757-200, was heading to Denver, Colorado, with 174 passengers and a crew of seven on board.
Despite the loss of the wheel, the plane was able to land safely, but with a delay of 25 minutes.
According to a Boeing spokesman, United Airlines received this plane in 1994, that is, 30 years ago.
Boeing stopped producing this model in 2004.
This incident prompted the US Aviation Regulatory Authority to open a new investigation.
This incident comes at a time when Boeing has been facing a series of production and quality problems for months that have damaged its reputation.
On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States said Monday that more than 2,600 Boeing 737 aircraft need to be inspected, due to concerns that passenger oxygen masks may malfunction in emergency situations.
Boeing pleads guilty
Earlier Monday, Boeing said it had reached an agreement with the US Department of Justice regarding two fatal crashes, while court documents indicated that the giant airline would plead guilty to the crime of criminal conspiracy to defraud.
Prosecutors concluded that Boeing violated a previous settlement related to the two accidents that killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia more than five years ago.
The group has also been subject to close monitoring since a near-catastrophic accident occurred in January when a Boeing 737 MAX 9 lost its emergency door in the air, noting that the plane was delivered by Alaska Airlines in October.
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