Wheel falls off US-to-Japan Boeing passenger jet

LOS ANGELES - Boeing 777 jetliner bound for Japan had to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff Thursday, after a wheel fell off and plunged into an airport parking lot.

Video posted online shows the wheel dropping seconds after the United Airlines plane gets off the ground at San Francisco International Airport.

The wheel bounced into a car park used by airport employees, the local KRON4 outlet reported, with airport officials saying several cars were damaged.

United Airlines said there were 249 people on board the Osaka-bound jet.

Boeing has faced a series of quality control issues, most recently in a hair-raising incident in January when a door-sized panel of a Boeing 737 Max 9 blew off the fuselage after the plane took off in Portland, Oregon.

No one was seriously hurt in the incident, which triggered a 19-day emergency grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 9s.

US regulators last week gave Boeing 90 days to come up with a plan addressing quality control issues, with the FAA chief saying the company must "commit to real and profound improvements."

The Boeing 777 has six wheels on each of its main landing struts and is designed to land safely if some are missing or damaged, United said.

The flight was diverted to Los Angeles where it landed safely.

Passengers were expected to be on their way again later Thursday, the airline said. - AFP