A BOEING 777 was forced to make an emergency landing after one of its tyres reportedly blew just days after another Boeing lost a wheel during take-off.
The American Airlines flight is the latest in a string of Boeing safety failures - and the third wheel incident in just a few weeks.
The jet had left Dallas, Texas with 249 passengers onboard before it was forced to touch down at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) just hours later.
A "mechanical problem" saw one of its tyres "blow", forcing pilots to declare an emergency, CBS News reports.
Fire crews rushed to the runway to meet the jet as it touched down on Wednesday evening.
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All passengers and crew aboard the AA Flight 345 were able to disembark safely.
American Airlines officials wouldn't confirm details of the malfunction - and only referred to it as "a possible mechanical issue" before landing, KTLA reports.
Yesterday a Boeing 777 was caught on camera leaking hydraulic fluid during take-off before it was forced to make yet another emergency landing.
And last week a wheel dropped from another Boeing during take-off - forcing pilots to land in Los Angeles.
The Boeing 777 bound for Japan lost its wheel mid-air shortly after taking off from San Francisco Airport.
Dramatic footage showed cars in the airport car park crushed by the falling tyre.
In January, a Delta Airlines Boeing 747 lost a front tyre while taxiing down the runway.
The pilot of another plane behind it could be heard saying “Hey… Tower, the 75 on the runway just lost the nose tire,” in cockpit recordings released by VASAviation.
MORE BOEING MALFUNCTIONS
The first few months of 2024 have seen a steady stream of concerning Boeing malfunctions plunge the aviation giant into crisis.
In early January Alaska Airlines saw a Boeing 737 door come off mid-flight.
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Passengers were left terrified as the plane flew with a gaping hole in its side.
The Federal Aviation Administration later grounded a fleet of Boeing 737s with all airlines so inspections could take place.
Its six-week investigation found the plane manufacturer failed a whopping 39 out of 89 individual audits.
Inspectors reported dozens of problems in the manufacturing process, and also found the company failed to comply with proper quality regulations.
One of Boeing's major suppliers also presented issues.
In total, the aeroplane giant showed almost 100 instances of alleged noncompliance.
On Saturday, former Boeing employee John Barnett was found dead in his truck days after giving evidence against the company in the investigation.
At the time of his death, he had been providing evidence of alleged wrongdoing at the company to investigators working on a lawsuit, according to the BBC.
The whistleblower, who worked at Boeing for 32 years, gave reports of safety failings and oversights, a culture of fear, and concerns about future malfunctions.
APPROVAL IN DOUBT
On Wednesday the head of Europe's aviation regulator told Reuters the agency would pull Boeing jet approval if needed - possibly preventing them from operating in European airspace.
It's a rare move for either Europe or America's aviation regulators - the world's largest - to axe approval over the other's safety checks and plane standards.
The last time Boeing planes were grounded in countries around the world was between March 2019 and December 2020 - with the 737 Max.
It followed the death of 346 people in two Boeing crashes in October 2018 and March 2019.
