On Jan 26th 2026, a British Airways Airbus A350-1000 experienced an unusual and dramatic incident moments after departure from Las Vegas, yet went on to complete its long-haul journey safely across the Atlantic.
The aircraft, registration G-XWBN, was operating flight BA-274 from Las Vegas, Nevada, to London Heathrow when the event occurred. As the jet climbed out from runway 26R and the landing gear was being retracted, the outboard aft main wheel detached from the bogie and fell to the ground near the departure end of the runway. Despite the loss, the crew continued the flight, assessing the situation and monitoring aircraft systems as the A350 climbed to cruise altitude for the transatlantic crossing.
The flight continued uneventfully for more than nine hours before touching down safely at London Heathrow. Emergency services were not required on landing, and the aircraft vacated the runway normally. Following the arrival, the aircraft was taken out of service and remained on the ground at Heathrow about 22 hours after landing while engineers began inspections and preparations for repairs.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the occurrence, stating that British Airways Flight 274 lost a tire during takeoff from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas at around 8:45 p.m. local time and subsequently landed safely in London. The FAA has opened an investigation to determine how the wheel separated during the initial climb and whether any contributing factors such as maintenance or component failure played a role.
While rare, incidents involving the loss of landing gear components are not unheard of, and modern aircraft are designed to continue flying safely even with such failures. In this case, the safe completion of the flight highlighted both crew decision-making and the resilience built into modern widebody aircraft design.
