Wheel Gone Mid-Takeoff! British Airways A350 Drops Tire in Las Vegas — But Flies Safely to London

The incident occurred on January 26, 2026, when British Airways flight BA274 — an Airbus A350-1000 (registration G-XWBN) departing from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas to London Heathrow (LHR) — lost the right rear wheel from its main landing gear shortly after takeoff.

Captured on airport live streams and bystander footage, the wheel detached as the landing gear retracted, tumbling to the runway area. Sparks were noted during the takeoff roll, but the aircraft climbed normally and completed the full ~9-hour transatlantic flight, landing safely and uneventfully at Heathrow.

Key facts:

• No injuries to passengers, crew, or anyone on the ground.
• No reported damage to airport property; the wheel was recovered from the airfield.
• The A350-1000 has six-wheel bogies on each main gear (three pairs), so losing one wheel didn’t compromise safety for continuation.
• British Airways stated: “Safety and security underpins everything we do and we’re supporting the authorities with their investigations.”
• The aircraft has been grounded since arrival (no further flights per tracking data).
• The NTSB and relevant authorities are investigating the cause.

This rare event highlights the robustness of modern widebody aircraft, which are designed with redundancy (multiple wheels per gear) to handle such occurrences safely.