A British Airways Airbus A350-1000 experienced a significant incident on January 26, 2026, when a wheel detached from its main landing gear shortly after departing from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. The aircraft, operating as flight BA274 to London Heathrow, continued its transatlantic journey without diversion and landed safely in the United Kingdom. The event was captured on video by an airport live stream, showing sparks emanating from the landing gear as the plane accelerated down the runway.
The detached wheel was from the right-side main landing gear bogie, which on the A350-1000 model, consists of six wheels. Footage of the incident shows the wheel separating from the aircraft as the landing gear was being retracted shortly after takeoff. Despite the dramatic nature of the event, the flight crew made the decision to proceed to London, a flight of approximately nine hours and 17 minutes.
Airport officials confirmed that the wheel was recovered from the airfield and that there were no injuries or damage to airport property. British Airways has stated that safety and security are paramount and that the airline is fully cooperating with authorities in their investigation to determine the cause of the wheel detachment. The aircraft, registered as G-XWBN, had not operated any further flights since the incident, as of available tracking data.
This incident, while rare, is not unprecedented in aviation. A similar event occurred in 2024 when a United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER lost a tire during takeoff. In that case, the aircraft diverted to Los Angeles, and the detached tire caused damage on the ground. The A350-1000 is a modern wide-body aircraft, and British Airways operates a fleet of 18 such planes.
Investigations into the specific cause of the wheel failure are ongoing. Aviation authorities will examine maintenance records, the condition of the landing gear components, and any potential external factors that may have contributed to the detachment. The safe completion of the flight to London highlights the robust design of modern aircraft, which are engineered to handle certain landing gear anomalies.
