Exclusive photos of plane missing wheel

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - News 4 has obtained exclusive photographs of the Colgan Air plane that lost a tire when it landed in Buffalo on May 12. The photographs were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Federal Aviation Administration.

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The photos show the extent of damage to the wheel and brake assembly. A News 4 Investigation recently uncovered new information. An FAA report obtained by News 4 indicates that the cockpit crew had no idea that there was a problem after take-off from New Jersey. A passenger, according to the FAA report, notified a flight attendant that he saw smoke coming from the “wheel” in question.

see all 10 pics to the left

The flight attendant, the report states, told the passenger to wait until the plane landed in Buffalo before telling the plane’s Captain what he saw. This same passenger, the reports states, began recording cell phone video of the landing in Buffalo after noticing something fall from the wheel.

A Colgan Air spokesperson tells News 4, “Colgan Air policies require all crew members to communicate operational or safety concerns when they are recognized. In this instance, the flight attendant did not alert the flight crew of the passenger’s concerns until after the flight had landed.”

The regional airline, which also operated the commuter flight that crashed near Buffalo in February killing 50 people, insists “no passengers or crew members were ever in any danger” during the lost tire incident last month.