In yet another Boeing-related incident amid claims that “diversity” initiatives have become a distraction, a 757-200 plane lost its landing gear wheel during takeoff from Los Angeles on Monday, but pilots managed to safely land the plane at its destination in Denver.
No injuries were reported among the 174 passengers and seven crew members on board United Airlines Flight 1001, and no injuries were reported on the ground, per The Washington Post.
The missing wheel was later recovered in Los Angeles, and officials are investigating the incident, according to a statement released by United Airlines on Tuesday.
The incident marks the second time in recent months that a Boeing airplane has lost a wheel upon takeoff. In March, a United Airlines flight bound for Japan lost a wheel at takeoff from the San Francisco airport. The aircraft in that instance was a Boeing 777-200. The wheel landed in an airline employee parking lot, crushing a vehicle and bouncing into a fence. No one was injured in that incident.
On May 25, passengers aboard a Boeing 737 on Southwest Airlines Flight 746 were shaken up as the aircraft’s tail swung left and right, causing its wings to rock back and forth, an effect known in the aviation industry as a “Dutch roll.”
Other Boeing aircraft mid-flight mishaps and near-misses in recent months include a door plug blowing off, a plane wing disintegrating, a windshield cracking, an engine catching fire, and more.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Department of Justice initiated a criminal investigation into potential lapses that resulted in the door plug blowing out of an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
These mishaps involving Boeing’s airplanes have heightened worries about the fleet’s overall safety. Whistleblowers have alleged that the company engaged in inadequate quality control practices and falsification of records.
In late June, the FAA launched an investigation into another Boeing 737 flight that triggered a low altitude alert while approaching Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma, as detailed in a previous report from The Dallas Express.
On Monday, the FAA announced that it is requiring an inspection of all 737 Max and Next Generation Boeing aircraft due to a reported issue with the planes’ oxygen masks.
The Department of Justice offered Boeing a plea deal last week to resolve potential criminal charges linked to alleged fraud following two fatal Boeing aircraft crashes that occurred in 2018 and 2019, claiming the lives of 346 individuals. Boeing accepted the deal, pleading guilty to criminal fraud conspiracy.
The company agreed to pay a fine of $487.2 million, which is the maximum allowable under law for conspiring to deceive the Federal Aviation Administration. However, due to a previous settlement related to the crashes, Boeing will receive credit for half of that amount.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Boeing has been accused of prioritizing the implementation of new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standards over safety standards or a heightened focus on aircraft quality.
A social media profile under the name Kieth M, who claimed to be a former employee at Boeing, posted the following statement in response to an article about safety issues at Boeing:
“I resigned from Boeing because of their DEI indoctrination. … Building/Maintaining aircraft is a human activity. Treat your mechanics and engineers with the respect they have earned with their skill sets. Stop focusing on indoctrination.”
According to Boeing’s 2022 public financial filings, high-ranking employee bonuses are now linked to achieving DEI goals. In contrast, in 2021, annual incentive plans focused solely on “product safety, employee safety, and quality.”