British Airways Plane Loses Wheel During Take-Off En Route to London

It should have been a routine transatlantic flight — but what happened on the runway sent shivers down spines around the world.

Dramatic footage has surfaced showing the moment a British Airways aircraft shed a rear wheel mid-takeoff, sparking panic as it launched into the sky from Las Vegas on Monday night, 26 January.

The flight, believed to be an Airbus A350-1000, was departing Harry Reid International Airport around 9.10 p.m. local time en route to London when things took a terrifying turn.

As seen in the now-viral video, the jet — flight BA274 — had already picked up speed along the runway when a mysterious object detached from the underside of the aircraft just after takeoff.

Seconds later, the object — later confirmed to be one of the plane's main landing gear wheels — is seen hurtling toward the ground at alarming speed. The rogue wheel landed on airport grounds, with officials confirming no injuries or property damage occurred as a result.

Incredibly, the aircraft continued its journey across the Atlantic without further incident, touching down at London Heathrow 27 minutes ahead of schedule, according to Flightradar24.

British Airways addressed the incident in a statement, saying, "Safety and security underpins everything we do and we're supporting the authorities with their investigations."

Harry Reid International Airport also confirmed the event, noting, "We are 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."

The tyre was retrieved from the airport airfield, and the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified as the investigation continues.

What caused the mid-air mishap remains unknown.