Sri Lanka
USA
Canada
India
UK
UAE
A British Airways Airbus A350-1000 lost one of its wheels during takeoff from Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport on Monday evening, authorities confirmed. The flight, BA274, was en route to London Heathrow when the incident occurred. According to aviation tracking service FlightRadar24, sparks were observed coming from the aircraft’s right main landing gear roughly 40 seconds after lift-off, and a wheel detached as the landing gear retracted.
The A350-1000 features two main landing gear units, each with six wheels, in addition to two nose wheels, for a total of 14 wheels. Airbus designs these aircraft so they can continue safe operation even if a single tire is missing or damaged, which allowed the crew to continue the flight without risk to passengers.
The nine-hour-and-17-minute flight proceeded normally, and the aircraft landed safely at Heathrow the following day. Airport officials in Las Vegas confirmed the detached wheel was recovered from the runway area and reported no injuries or damage to property.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acknowledged the incident, stating the plane “lost a tire during takeoff” but landed safely, and said it will conduct a full investigation. British Airways also released a statement emphasizing that “safety and security underpins everything we do” and that it is cooperating with authorities to determine the cause.
Passengers on the flight were reportedly unharmed, and the airline confirmed that normal operations continued after the incident. Aviation experts note that while losing a wheel during takeoff is rare, aircraft like the A350 are built to handle such contingencies, highlighting the robustness of modern commercial aircraft design.
This incident is under review by both the FAA and Airbus, as authorities work to understand exactly why the wheel detached and to ensure continued safety for future flights.
