A United Airlines transatlantic flight lost one of its tires during takeoff forcing it to be diverted.
Part of the tire then landed on a car in a staff parking lot at San Francisco Airport causing damage to the vehicle.
The Japan bound flight was diverted to Los Angeles where it landed safely despite the landing gear issue.
The runway at Ssan Francisco had to be closed briefly to clear some landing gear debris.
“We’re grateful to our pilots and flight attendants for their professionalism in managing this situation,” United said.
The Boeing 777-200 planes have 12 tires and are ‘designed to land safely with missing or damaged tires,’ United said.
The FAA said it is investigating the incident.
The flight was headed to Osaka carrying 235 passenger and 14 crew.
















