The FAA cleared United Airlines after a major review into a slew of incidents, including a plane losing a tire as it took off

A United Airlines Boeing 777 lost a tire during takeoff in March.

United Airlines has received the green light from regulators after a six-month safety review.

“The FAA finished its Certificate Holder Evaluation Program (CHEP) of United Airlines. The review did not identify any significant safety issues,” the FAA said in a statement shared with B-17.

It had started scrutinizing United Airlines after a string of safety incidents.

In March, a Boeing 777 lost a tire shortly after takeoff, as captured in a video by a plane spotter. A car in the parking lot below was crushed.

United flight 35 from San Francisco to Osaka lost a tire from one its main landing gear struts on departure.

The flight is diverting to Los Angeles.

(Video. https://t.co/pffvS97FJ8) pic.twitter.com/ttVaYu2ohj

— Ryan Ewing (@FlyingHighRyan) March 7, 2024
The next day, a United Boeing 737 Max rolled off the runway and onto the grass at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. And the week after, a 737 landed in Oregon when it was found to be missing an external panel.

Later that month, a memo was sent to United employees noting that the FAA would review “some of our work processes, manuals, and facilities.”

Sasha Johnson, a vice president of corporate safety at United, added: “As part of this effort, the FAA will also pause a variety of certification activities for a period of time.”

Bloomberg reported that the FAA was also considering more drastic actions like preventing United from adding new flight routes.

Amid the safety probe, United delayed the start of two new international routes in April, Reuters reported.

The United incidents occurred not long after January’s Alaska Airlines blowout, when a Boeing 737 Max lost a door plug in midair — sparking concerns about quality control at the planemaker.

Given that United is one of Boeing’s biggest customers, the safety incidents mostly involved Boeing jets and, therefore, prompted broader media coverage.

However, all were older jets — unlike the Alaska incident that involved a plane delivered just 66 days earlier — pointing to maintenance problems rather than manufacturing defects.

Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia told B-17’s Taylor Rains in March, “If it’s an older jet like a 737NG, it’s very definitely a maintenance issue.”

“There’s still a possible reputational impact to Boeing, but maintenance is up to airlines and third-party providers,” he added.

United Airlines declined to comment when reached by B-17.