Video: British Airways A350 Sheds Wheel During Las Vegas Takeoff
LAS VEGAS, United States — A British Airways Airbus A350-1000 lost a main landing gear wheel moments after lifting off from Harry Reid International Airport on Monday night, yet the widebody jet continued across the Atlantic and touched down safely at London Heathrow more than nine hours later.
The incident aboard flight BA274 was captured in striking detail by Flightradar24’s automated surveillance camera at the Nevada airport. Footage showed sparks erupting from the right-hand main landing gear as the aircraft accelerated along runway 26R shortly after 9:10 p.m. local time. As the twinjet climbed away and the undercarriage began retracting, the outermost rear wheel on the right bogie separated and tumbled to the ground.
Airport officials recovered the wheel from the airfield. No injuries were reported either on the ground or among the passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, which carried registration G-XWBN.
“Safety and security underpins everything we do and we’re supporting the authorities with their investigations,” British Airways said in a statement.
How the Aircraft Landed Safely
The A350-1000 features a six-wheel bogie configuration on each main landing gear assembly, arranged in three pairs to support the aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight of 322 tonnes. This design provides redundancy that proved critical during the incident. With five of the six wheels on the right gear remaining intact, the aircraft retained sufficient structural support for a normal touchdown.
Pilots of damaged aircraft sometimes circle for extended periods to burn fuel before attempting emergency landings, reducing fire risk from sparks on contact with the tarmac. However, BA274 proceeded directly to its destination without declaring an emergency and arrived at Heathrow 27 minutes ahead of schedule. Passengers reportedly remained unaware of the mechanical failure until after disembarking.
French-based Messier-Dowty supplies the main undercarriage for the smaller A350-900 variant, while UTC Aerospace Systems manufactures the six-wheel gear fitted to the larger A350-1000. Investigators have not disclosed what caused the wheel to detach.
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