The occurrence follows increased scrutiny of Boeing by federal regulators after a mid-air fuselage panel blowout on an 8-week-old Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines. Although no serious injuries resulted from the blowout, the FAA grounded 171 MAX 9s after the incident on January 5.
The FAA recommended inspections of door plugs on Boeing 737-900ER jets to ensure proper security, prompted by reports of loose hardware during inspections of grounded MAX 9 planes.
In the case of the Boeing 757 nose gear detachment, a preliminary FAA notice filed on Monday indicated that none of the 184 passengers or six crew members onboard were injured. The incident occurred while the aircraft was lining up for takeoff, and the "nose wheel came off and rolled down the hill," according to the report.
The plane was scheduled for a flight to Bogota, Colombia, and Delta Air Lines arranged for the affected passengers to be accommodated on a replacement flight. Boeing declined to comment, directing inquiries to the airline, while the FAA stated that its investigation into the incident is ongoing.
(With Reuters inputs)
