Las Vegas, United States: A British Airways Airbus A350-1000 lost a rear landing gear wheel shortly after departing Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas while en route to London Heathrow Airport, officials and aviation trackers confirmed.
The incident occurred on Monday evening, 26 January, when Flight BA274, operated by a British Airways Airbus A350-1000 registered G-XWBN, was climbing out after takeoff around 9:05 p.m. local time. Livestream footage from an automated airport camera showed sparks near the right main landing gear as the aircraft lifted off, followed seconds later by the separation of the right-rear wheel assembly as the gear was retracting.
Despite the unusual mechanical failure, the flight continued across the Atlantic Ocean and landed safely at Heathrow Airport at about 14:28 GMT on Tuesday, approximately nine hours after departure.
Airport officials at Harry Reid International confirmed the wheel was recovered from the airfield, and that no injuries or damage to airport property were reported as a result of the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been notified.
British Airways said in a statement that “safety and security underpins everything we do” and that the airline is supporting authorities with their investigations into the cause of the separation.
The Airbus A350-1000 is equipped with a robust multi-wheel landing gear system, with six wheels on each main landing gear bogie. The detached wheel was the outermost rear wheel on the right main gear. Such redundancy typically allows an aircraft to operate safely even with a single wheel loss, provided all other systems remain within normal operating parameters.
Cabin crew conducted an onboard engineering assessment once the aircraft reached cruising altitude and determined there was no immediate safety risk necessitating a diversion to an alternate airport. The decision to complete the transatlantic flight to London was made in consultation with British Airways’ operations and engineering teams.
Upon arrival at Heathrow, the aircraft was taken out of service for inspection and repairs. Investigators are expected to examine the landing gear assembly and maintenance history to determine the cause of the wheel separation.
