On March 8th, according to foreign media reports, a Boeing 777-200 aircraft operated by United Airlines of the United States had a tire drop shortly after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport, and then changed course for an emergency landing.
Videos on social media show that during takeoff, the aircraft involved had not yet retracted its landing gear, and a tire fell from the rear landing gear. Outside the airport, several cars parked in the parking lot had their roofs smashed.
Industry insiders told reporters that the above accident is likely caused by improper maintenance. The aircraft landing device is composed of multiple tires, and theoretically, a problem with one tire will not affect the normal takeoff and landing of the aircraft. Similar accidents have occurred on other aircraft models before.
One runway of the airport in question was briefly closed
According to foreign media reports, the plane was originally scheduled to fly to Osaka, Japan, with a total of 249 people on board. At present, there have been no reports of personnel injuries. The airline stated that it is arranging a new plane for the affected passengers.
In addition, the accident also caused a brief closure of a runway at San Francisco International Airport. The falling tire fragments damaged several cars in the airport employee parking lot.
In the view of the industry insiders mentioned above, in densely populated areas such as airports, if any parts fall off an aircraft, the consequences are serious because usually aircraft tires weigh about 100 kilograms and require at least two people to carry them.
Previously, other Boeing aircraft models had their doors dropped
Since 2024, Boeing aircraft have experienced multiple safety accidents. In January, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft returned to Portland International Airport in an emergency due to an embedded emergency door falling off. In February of the same year, a Boeing 757 aircraft operated by United Airlines from San Francisco to Boston was found to have a broken wing during flight and made an emergency landing.
On March 4th local time, the website of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States announced the latest investigation progress of the Boeing "door drop" accident. The investigation report states that Boeing and its airframe component supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, had "non-compliance" in component handling, storage, and quality control during the manufacturing process of the 737 MAX aircraft.
In order to hold Boeing accountable for the quality of its products, the Federal Aviation Administration stated in the aforementioned report that it has ordered Boeing to cease production expansion of the 737 MAX aircraft and to conduct an independent review of its quality system using a third party, emphasizing a thorough review of all corrective measures taken by Boeing.
Boeing has been pointed out to have deficiencies in its safety culture
On February 28th, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States requested Boeing to develop a comprehensive action plan within 90 days to address its "systemic quality control issues.". In response to this requirement, Boeing responded on its official website that it will develop a comprehensive action plan with measurable standards to address the aforementioned challenges.
Previously, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States mentioned in a report released on February 26 that Boeing's efforts to improve safety culture after two (2018 and 2019) 737MAX crashes did not meet expected goals, and its safety culture still has shortcomings.
According to US media reports, on February 21st local time, a senior executive in Boeing's commercial aircraft department informed employees that the 737 MAX project leader would immediately resign and the company's leadership in the commercial aircraft department would also undergo a restructuring. In addition, Boeing has also announced personnel changes for multiple executive positions. (End)