It’s being reported this afternoon that the wheel of a Delta Boeing 757 rolled off the airliner as it was taxiing down the runway to take off a few days ago.

The aircraft behind the Delta jet is the one who noticed it and told the aircraft directly before they could take off. They then said they would see if they could get a tow.

[Again, this doesn’t sound like a design problem; it’s more likely a maintenance problem. Still, these incidents are starting to pile up. Thankfully no one’s been killed, and it’s fortunate that the pilot in the other plane kept an eye on his surroundings. — Ed]