Watch the moment a United Airlines flight loses a wheel during take-off and crushes cars below

A flight bound for Japan from the US was forced to make an emergency landing after a wheel fell off of the aircraft. The United Airlines flight, which left San Francisco International Airport at around 11.24am local time, was caught on camera as a wheel dropped from the Boeing 777 during the take-off. The wheel fell to the ground below, crushing and hitting several cars in an employee car park at the airport.

The plane, which had been carrying 235 passengers and 14 members of staff, was redirected to Los Angeles International Airport where it made an emergency landing and was met by two fire engines on standby. It landed on the runway and was towed away.

It was confirmed that there were no injuries reported either onboard or in the parking lot where the wheel landed. several cars were damaged however, with windows smashed and car bodies severely dented.

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A statement from United Airlines said: “We’re grateful to our pilots and flight attendants for their professionalism in managing this situation. We’re also grateful to our teams on the ground who were waiting with a tug to move the aircraft soon after it landed and to our teams in the airport who assisted customers upon their arrival. We will work with customers as well as with the owners of the damaged vehicles in SFO to ensure their needs are addressed.”

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that an investigation into the incident has been launched. Los Angeles International Airport spokesperson Doug Yakel confirmed that the runway had been closed for a period of time while debris was cleared and passengers were evacuated.