A Boeing 757 aircraft, operated by U.S. company Delta Air Lines, lost the tire of its nose wheel when preparing for takeoff at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia on Jan. 20.
In a report posted on Jan. 22, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that the nose wheel came off and rolled down the hill.
What happened
The Boeing 757 plane, which was headed towards Bogotá, Colombia, lost the tire on its nose wheel as it was taxiing for take-off.
A nose wheel is a landing-gear wheel that resides under the nose of an airplane. Boeing 757 planes have two that are positioned side by side and are checked before a flight, according to The Guardian.
FAA said, "The passengers deplaned and were bused to the terminal."
They added they will investigate into the incident.
No injuries were reported for the six crew members and 184 passengers on board.
In a statement and email seen by The Washington Post, Delta apologised to customers for the inconvenience and stated the aircraft returned to service the next day.
Boeing also told The Washington Post the plane in question is 32 years old and the company stopped building the 757 in 2004.
A series of incidents
The incident happened just two days after a Boeing 747 cargo plane encountered an engine problem 10 minutes after take-off and a Boeing 737 Max 9 plane's fuselage panel blowing off midair less than 20 minutes into its flight.
On Jan. 18, United States' National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they were investigating the incident of the panel blowing off while in flight.
FAA also confirmed on Jan. 17 that the inspections of an initial group of 40 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets have been completed, though it would “thoroughly review the data” and create a corrective action review board.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told NTSB "they want to rectify" errors made in the past.
Top image via Delta website