LOS ANGELES, Calif. – On Thursday morning, a flight with 18 Florida students aboard made an emergency landing in California after the plane’s wheel fell off, according to Osceola County Public Schools.
In a release, district officials said that the students and three chaperones from Gateway High School were on board the flight during a trip to Osaka, Japan.
The United flight, a Boeing plane, took off from San Francisco International Airport around 11:23 a.m. on its way to Osaka.
However, before the plane began its trip over the Pacific Ocean, one of the rear wheels fell from the plane, the release shows.
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As a result, the plane — carrying a total of 249 people — was forced to land at the Los Angeles International Airport. Meanwhile, the fallen wheel crashed into a parked car that was empty at the time.
“The school’s principal was in close communication with the group throughout the ordeal,” OCPS Public Information Officer Dana Schafer told News 6.
This incident comes as Boeing comes under increasing scrutiny for the manufacturing of its aircraft.
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