Passengers aboard a British Airways flight departing Las Vegas were unknowingly part of a dramatic midair mishap when one of the aircraft’s wheels detached moments after takeoff, according to federal officials and newly surfaced video.
According to the New York Post, the incident occurred Monday night as Flight BA274 lifted off from Harry Reid International Airport on a scheduled journey to the United Kingdom.
Shortly after leaving the runway at around 8:45 p.m., footage captured sparks shooting from the aircraft’s right landing gear as the jet climbed into the night sky.
As the plane ascended and the landing gear began retracting, one of the wheels separated from the aircraft and dropped back onto the runway below.
The video, which later circulated online, shows the brief burst of sparks just before the wheel fell away.
Despite the mechanical failure, the aircraft continued its transatlantic journey without interruption.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the plane completed the flight and “landed safely” at London Heathrow Airport roughly nine hours later.
Airport officials said the detached wheel was later located and recovered from the airfield at the Las Vegas airport. There were no reported injuries connected to the incident, and it remains unclear whether any passengers or crew members were aware of the issue while the flight was in progress.
The aircraft involved was an Airbus A350-1000, a wide-body jet designed with multiple layers of redundancy. Each A350-1000 is equipped with two main landing gear assemblies, each containing six wheels, for a total of 12 main wheels. The aircraft also has two additional wheels on the nose landing gear.
British Airways acknowledged the incident and said it is cooperating with authorities as the matter is reviewed.
“Safety and security underpins everything we do, and we’re supporting the authorities with their investigation,” a British Airways spokesperson told The Post.
The FAA said it has opened an investigation into the wheel separation to determine what caused the failure and whether any mechanical or maintenance issues contributed to the incident. Officials did not immediately provide details on potential findings or timelines.
While the flight’s safe arrival prevented a more serious outcome, the unusual nature of the incident has drawn attention online, with aviation experts and observers noting how rare it is for a commercial aircraft to lose a wheel during takeoff and still complete a long-haul flight without incident.
For now, the FAA’s investigation will focus on how the wheel became detached and whether any changes are needed to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
