Delta Boeing 757 loses nose wheel before takeoff in Atlanta amid rough stretch for plane maker

A Boeing 757 jet operated by Delta Air Lines lost a nose wheel while preparing for takeoff from Atlanta.

It was an older model of plane than those made by Boeing that have raised safety concerns about Boeing, yet it occurred with an intense spotlight on one of the nation’s top manufacturers.

Delta Flight 982 – headed to Bogota, Colombia – was taxiing for departure at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport when the incident took place around 11:15 a.m. Saturday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident.

The plane is 32 years old.

“All customers and their bags were removed from the aircraft, transferred to the gate and onto a replacement aircraft,” Delta said. “We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

No one was injured, a Delta spokesperson told The Associated Press – adding that the plane was re-tired and placed back into service the next day.

According to the the Atlanta-based airline, 172 passengers, two pilots and four flight attendants were on board the flight.

When contacted by The AP Wednesday, Boeing did not comment further. The Arlington, Virginia, aircraft maker ended production of the 757 nearly 20 years ago.

There have been a string of mishaps involving Boeing planes over recent years – including two crashes of Max 8 planes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, which killed a total of 346 people back in 2018 and 2019.

Earlier this month, a door plug blew off an Alaska Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) above Oregon, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane. Since then, Alaska Airlines and United reported finding loose bolts and other problems in the panel doors of an unspecified number of other Max 9s.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun was in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to meet with lawmakers about the safety of the Max 9.

Ongoing investigations from regulators and harsh criticism of Boeing inside and outside of the air travel industry preceded Calhoun’s visit to Washington on Wednesday.