United Airlines plane loses tire taking off from LAX

A United Airlines plane lost a tire today while taking off from Los Angeles International Airport, but the flight landed safely in Denver with no reports of injuries or further mechanical problems.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, United flight 1001 departed LAX around 7 a.m. Monday, and the crew "reported that the plane lost a tire during takeoff."

"The Boeing 757-200 continued to Denver International Airport where it landed safely around 10:10 a.m.,'' according to the FAA, which said the agency is investigating the event.

United officials said the airline is also investigating. According to United, there were 174 passengers and seven crew members aboard the flight.   

"The wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles, and we are investigating what caused this event,'' according to the airline.   

The news was reminiscent of a March incident in which a United flight lost a tire while taking off from San Francisco, prompting it to make an emergency landing at LAX. In that case, video captured the tire falling from the Boeing 777-200 plane shortly after takeoff. The falling tire damaged some parked cars near the airport. The flight was en route to Japan but diverted to LAX for the emergency landing.