SAN FRANCISCO — For the second time in four months, a wheel fell off a United flight during takeoff from California. The latest incident happened at LAX.
Now, we’re hearing from a woman whose car was totaled when a wheel fell off a United flight taking off in San Francisco back in March.
The Monday incident of a tire falling off a United flight while taking off from LAX was an all-too-familiar story for Lauren Inthavong.
The 23-year-old’s car was totaled in March after a United flight taking off from SFO also lost a tire.
“I was in shock, because the worst thing that I thought could happen was my car getting broken into. I didn’t think a scenario like that would even happen there,” Inthavong said.
Inthavong works in a lounge at SFO and commutes from Concord. Since her car was totaled, she says she either borrows one or takes BART.
“I still don’t have a car,” Inthavong said.
United said in a statement at the time it would work with the owners of damaged vehicles at SFO to ensure their needs were addressed, but Inthavong says she didn’t know how to reach out directly to the airline to report damage to her car.
“I just didn’t really know how to. This was all really new to me,” Inthavong said.
In an emailed statement, a United Spokesperson tells ABC7 News, “Safety is our highest priority. We worked with everyone who reported damage to their vehicle, but we have not been contacted by the owner of this specific vehicle.
United also shared a link where Inthavong could file a claim with United’s Customer Care team, which she says she’ll do. In the meantime, she says the family’s insurance company did reimburse them for the Kelley Blue Book value of the car. She’s hoping United will help as well.
“I just wanted, you know, like some compensation for ruining my car,” Inthavong said.
The airline did not respond to our questions about the second incident of a tire falling off a flight during takeoff. Something Inthavong says she worries about every time she goes to work.
“What if another tire just fell off,” Inthavong said.
There were no reported injuries on the aircraft or on the ground in Monday’s incident.
