Wheel falls from United Airlines Boeing plane during take-off in Los Angeles

A Boeing jetliner taking off from Los Angeles lost a wheel, the latest in a string of safety scares for the aerospace giant.

United Airlines, which operated the Boeing 757-200, said the plane lost the wheel on Monday after leaving Los Angeles International Airport but landed safely in Denver, its intended destination.

“The wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles, and we are investigating what caused this event,” the airline said in statement.

No injuries were reported from the ground or the 174 passengers and seven crew members on board.

It was the second time in recent months that a Boeing plane operated by United Airlines lost a wheel after taking off.

In March, a United Airlines Boeing 777 bound for Japan had a tire fall off shortly after take-off from San Francisco. The aircraft had to make an emergency landing.

In January, a Boeing 757 operated by Delta Air Lines lost its nose wheel while preparing for take-off at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.

Delta said a nose gear tire and rim had come loose and then rolled down a hill. Passengers had to exit the plane, but no one was injured.

Boeing agreed Monday to plead guilty to fraud in a settlement with the US Department of Justice over two fatal 737 Max crashes.

Boeing has faced renewed scrutiny of the 737 Max this year after a fuselage door plug blew out on the same model during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

A Boeing spokesperson said in an email that the 757-200 aircraft that took off Monday was first delivered 30 years ago in 1994.

Production of the 757 model was discontinued in 2004.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating Monday’s incident.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg and Tribune News Service