An Alaska Airlines plane made a rough landing in Los Angeles on Thursday evening after the plane lost a tire during takeoff in Washington DC
Flight 309 took off from Dulles International Airport just before 5:30 p.m. and landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport just after 8 p.m., according to FlightAware, a site that tracks flight routes.
According to an Alaska Airline spokesperson, the Boeing 737-900 was carrying 175 passengers and six crew, and preliminary reports indicate the plane suffered “a main gear tire failure.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, our pilots declared an emergency landing upon arrival at LAX to have additional support available if necessary,” the spokesperson told USA TODAY Friday morning.
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’10 seconds of really violent shaking’
According to KABC-TV, which interviewed passengers, passengers were warned about an hour before landing to prepare for a rough landing.
“They got us in the brace position,” passenger Brent Drewette of San Juan Capistrano, California, told the outlet. “It was 10 seconds of really heavy shaking. But then the emergency services checked us and took us inside and everything was fine.”
The plane landed safely, the airline said, and no one was injured.
On board the plane was a group of high school students from Orange County, California, KABC reported.
“I had to stay very calm for my daughter,” passenger Allison Mueller told the newspaper. “I was scared.”
“While this incident is rare, our flight crews train extensively to safely navigate many scenarios,” the airline spokesperson said. “We understand that this may have been a worrying moment for our guests on board. We apologize for what they experienced.”
The aircraft will be taken out of service while the incident is investigated, the airline said.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alaska Airlines plane loses tire after taking off from DC and lands at LAX
