An unexpected incident occurred on a British Airways flight when a wheel fell off during takeoff from Las Vegas airport, heading to London. Live-stream cameras clearly captured the moment an object detached from the aircraft. U.S. authorities are rushing to investigate, while the airline stresses its utmost commitment to safety.
British Airways flight BA274 experienced a wheel detachment while accelerating for takeoff from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, USA, en route to London Heathrow Airport on the evening of Monday, 26 Jan 2026 GMT+7.
The event was recorded by Flightradar’s live-stream camera, showing the moment an object detached from the right rear landing gear of the Airbus A350-1000 just seconds after the engines powered up and the aircraft lifted off the runway.
Despite the incident, the plane continued its nearly 10-hour transatlantic flight. FlightAware data shows the aircraft took off at 20:44 local time and arrived safely in the United Kingdom around 14:30 on 27 Jan 2026 GMT+7, with no reported injuries.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a statement confirming the incident and ongoing investigation, stating, "Flight BA274 lost one tire during takeoff but was able to continue to London and land safely."
A British Airways spokesperson said, "Safety and security are at the heart of everything we do, and we are fully cooperating with the relevant authorities in their investigation."
This wheel detachment is not the first such incident in 2026. On 18 Jan, United Airlines flight 2323 from Chicago experienced a front wheel detachment during a hard landing at Orlando Airport, Florida, causing a temporary runway closure. In that case, the FAA reported the aircraft was damaged and unable to move after landing.