The crew of a Hawaiian Airlines flight departing from LAX aborted takeoff early Friday morning after the plane experienced a troubling vibration in its front wheel.
The plane was scheduled to depart around 8 a.m. with a final destination set as the Kahului Airport, but an unstable nose wheel — the forward-most wheel of the landing gear — prompted the plane’s crew to abandon its planned departure.
Hawaiian Airline officials tell KTLA that the plane returned to the gate and allowed passengers to disembark before mechanics arrived to assess and fix the issue.
Following those repairs, the plane departed just before noon and arrived at Kahului Airport on Maui around 4:55 p.m. Pacific Time.
Like all major and minor incidents involving aircrafts in the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.
“The safety of our employees and guests is our priority, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience,” a Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson said.