Moment wheel falls off departing British Airways plane

Video footage has captured the moment a wheel fell off a British Airways plane moments after take off.

The rear wheel of a Las Vegas to London Heathrow plane tumbled down from an Airbus A350-1000 as it gained altitude.

A live stream recorded the shadowy wheel dropping from the back of the landing gear as it left Harry Reid International Airport at around 9.10pm local time on Monday.

It is not clear what caused the issue with the wheel, which landed in the Nevada airfield.

Despite the dramatic moment, the BA pilot continued the nine hour flight and landed safely towards the UK capital.

The jet even landed at Heathrow 27 minutes earlier than scheduled.

The Airbus A350-1000 main landing gear features six wheels arranged in three pairs, according to flightradar24.

The wheel lost by BA274 in Las Vegas was the rear-most, outside wheel on the right main landing gear. 

One of the main risks with a falling tyre is it hitting people and property below, but there were no injuries or damage reported in Vegas.

The plane has been taken out of service for inspection and repairs, according to the aviation news network AIRLIVE.

In a statement, British Airways said: ‘Safety and security underpins everything we do and we’re supporting the authorities with their investigations.’

Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) said it was ‘aware of an incident involving a British Airways aircraft that departed LAS last night and continued on to London, where it landed safely without further incident’.

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