United flight diverted after tire falls off during takeoff, strikes parked cars

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – A United Airlines flight that took off from San Francisco International Airport has been diverted to Los Angeles International Airport after losing a tire during takeoff. According to flight tracking website FlightAware, the plane took off from San Francisco at 11:23 a.m. and was diverted to Los Angeles about 25 minutes later.

(Watch video below courtesy of Salvador Gonzalez with Cali Planes)

The flight, UA 35, was originally bound for Osaka, Japan, according to an SFO official. A runway at SFO was briefly closed but has since reopened with no further impact.

Multiple cars sustained damage as a result of the tire falling off the plane, airport officials confirmed. The tire landed on a surface parking lot used by airport employees.

According to United, there were 249 people on board: 235 passengers, 10 flight attendants, and four pilots. The aircraft, a Boeing 777, had six tires on each of its two main landing gear. It’s designed to land safely even if tires are missing or damaged.

“United Flight 35 lost one tire after takeoff from San Francisco and landed safely at LAX. We are arranging for a new aircraft to continue this trip for our customers,” a United Airlines spokesperson told Nexstar’s KRON.

According to FlightAware, the plane landed safely at LAX at 1:27 p.m.