Video Shows Aftermath of Lost Airplane Wheel

Occasionally, aviation malfunctions unfold in a way that leaves us wincing, leaving us to hope that we never end up in such situations and that all onboard end up safe and accounted for. A recent incident involving a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Japan exemplified this sentiment, as the journey was abruptly interrupted by an emergency landing in Los Angeles.

Video footage captured the unsettling moment as the aircraft ascended, only to discard one of its six wheels from the left side of the primary landing gear. The unexpected turn of events compelled the pilot to divert the flight to Los Angeles, where it touched down with a fleet of fire trucks standing by. @abcnewsA 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, where the flight landed safely without incident, the airline said. The tire debris landed in an employee parking lot at San Francisco International Airport. No injuries were reported, but at least one vehicle was damaged.♬ original sound – ABC News

While the passengers’ ordeal ended without hazard, the same could not be said for the unfortunate individual whose car bore the brunt of the wayward wheel. It’s easy to fixate on the terror experienced by those onboard the aircraft so much that we often overlook the aftermath of where the dislodged tire ultimately lands. In this case, it crashed into an employee parking lot, demolishing a car before careening through and demolishing a fence. Miraculously, no injuries were reported in an incident that could have easily turned tragic.

In the video footage from the employee parking lot, the devastation is palpable as at least one vehicle lies in ruins.

@julian.simoes BREAKING: UAL35 United Airlines 777-2 possibly lost peices of landing gear or tire on takeoff. DEVELOPING STORY #unitedairlines #SFO #LAX #BREAKING #aviation #aviationdaily ♬ original sound – Julian