American Airlines 757 loses wheel @ SEA, lands safely @ DFW
SEATTLE (AP) -- An American Airlines 757 lost a wheel leaving Sea-Tac Airport Wednesday morning and landed safely about four hours later at Dallas-Fort Worth.
Sea-Tac spokesman Bob Parker said the tower noticed a ring on a runway threshold at about 7:30 a.m. Crews determined it was part of a wheel. Later, airport officials heard that an American Airlines jet had lost a wheel.
A search found the rest of the wheel behind a sign, next to a runway, Parker said.
The airport notified the Federal Aviation Administration, which called the situation a maintenance issue for American, he said.
American Airlines spokesman John Hotard in Fort Worth said there was no indication in the cockpit that the wheel had fallen off. The plane was rolling to the gate just before noon when the pilot was notified by someone on the group that one of the dual nose wheels was missing, he said.
The plane stopped short of the gate and all 145 passengers exited safety, Hotard said.
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