An Atlanta-bound Boeing 737 made an emergency landing at O’Hare International Airport Saturday evening after one of its tires fell off during takeoff. The tire struck a car in a parking lot, but no one was injured.
The plane departed O’Hare at 5:15 p.m. but turned around after the pilot noticed a tire missing and radioed the tower to request permission for an emergency landing, said Department of Aviation spokeswoman Lisa Howard.
The plane landed without trouble at 6:47 p.m. The United Airlines flight carried 101 passengers and eight crew members, Howard said.
The tire had been lost from the left-central portion of the plane, she added. There are five tires on a 737, two each on the left and right gears and one on the nose gear.
The tire landed in the parking lot of a Hertz Rental Car lot on the airport grounds but caused no injuries, Howard said. Passengers were removed from the plane and bused to the terminal.
