Narrative:

After a normal taxi to and takeoff from runway 23L, tower informed us that a local FBO reported what appeared to have been something fall off our aircraft and that more information would be forthcoming. Moments later, tower relayed that what appeared by a witness to have fallen off was a tire. With this information we declared an emergency with our intentions to return for landing. As tower prepared for our return and to allow us time to complete various checklists (including one for antiskid operation), inform the flight attendant, passenger, and burn off fuel, we requested a radio patch through air carrier operations to our dispatch in ZZZ. After discussing our problem with dispatch, we agreed that declaring an emergency and landing in rdu was the safest course of action. We flew a gear down low observation pass down runway 23L so tower and various observers (including another air carrier J41 crew) could check the gear for a missing tire. The crew relayed that the left inboard main tire was missing. We then made preparations for an emergency landing using normal and gear unsafe checklists (no checklist for tire missing is available). Dispatch was briefed of our intent to land on runway 23R, the longer of the 2 runways. We landed uneventfully, rolled to the parallel taxiway and shut down at XA05. Crash fire rescue equipment, air carrier personnel and contract maintenance were on scene. We deplaned passenger to an awaiting bus. Maintenance determined aircraft was safe to tow to air carrier gates informing us that the wheel had fallen off due to a broken axle. At air carrier operations, we called mr X in the tower for his report along with calls to dispatch and the chief pilot's office, per air carrier operations manual requirements. I would like to express my appreciation to the controllers on duty for their outstanding handling of our flight, to the exceptionally helpful air carrier station personnel and especially to mrs Y whose quick thinking and response make her the real hero of the day. Supplemental information from acn 512895: after takeoff from runway 23L in rdu, headed for iad, tower advised us that a local FBO employee reported to have seen a tire fall off our aircraft shortly after takeoff. We declared an emergency and stated our intention to return to the field. After running various checklists, briefing the flight attendants and passenger, dispatch and us decided that returning to rdu was the safest course of action. During a low approach to runway 23L the missing of the left inboard main tire was confirmed by tower and a company aircraft. For the final landing we briefed an ILS to a visual approach for runway 23R (the longer runway) and the minimal use of brakes (antiskid inoperative). We landed uneventfully and rolled off the runway onto the parallel taxiway, where we orderly shut down and deplaned the passenger onto an awaiting bus. ATC controllers and FBO personnel made this successful outcome possible and made it once again obvious that a successful flight is always a team issue of flight and ground personnel. The cause of what was later determined a broken axle and loss of the tire, hub and attached wheel assembly was metal fatigue. Cracks at that point are not prefltable and should be covered in a maintenance procedure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A JS41 CREW LOST A L MAIN INBOARD TIRE ON DEP.

Narrative: AFTER A NORMAL TAXI TO AND TKOF FROM RWY 23L, TWR INFORMED US THAT A LCL FBO RPTED WHAT APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN SOMETHING FALL OFF OUR ACFT AND THAT MORE INFO WOULD BE FORTHCOMING. MOMENTS LATER, TWR RELAYED THAT WHAT APPEARED BY A WITNESS TO HAVE FALLEN OFF WAS A TIRE. WITH THIS INFO WE DECLARED AN EMER WITH OUR INTENTIONS TO RETURN FOR LNDG. AS TWR PREPARED FOR OUR RETURN AND TO ALLOW US TIME TO COMPLETE VARIOUS CHKLISTS (INCLUDING ONE FOR ANTISKID OP), INFORM THE FLT ATTENDANT, PAX, AND BURN OFF FUEL, WE REQUESTED A RADIO PATCH THROUGH ACR OPS TO OUR DISPATCH IN ZZZ. AFTER DISCUSSING OUR PROB WITH DISPATCH, WE AGREED THAT DECLARING AN EMER AND LNDG IN RDU WAS THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION. WE FLEW A GEAR DOWN LOW OBSERVATION PASS DOWN RWY 23L SO TWR AND VARIOUS OBSERVERS (INCLUDING ANOTHER ACR J41 CREW) COULD CHK THE GEAR FOR A MISSING TIRE. THE CREW RELAYED THAT THE L INBOARD MAIN TIRE WAS MISSING. WE THEN MADE PREPARATIONS FOR AN EMER LNDG USING NORMAL AND GEAR UNSAFE CHKLISTS (NO CHKLIST FOR TIRE MISSING IS AVAILABLE). DISPATCH WAS BRIEFED OF OUR INTENT TO LAND ON RWY 23R, THE LONGER OF THE 2 RWYS. WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY, ROLLED TO THE PARALLEL TXWY AND SHUT DOWN AT XA05. CFR, ACR PERSONNEL AND CONTRACT MAINT WERE ON SCENE. WE DEPLANED PAX TO AN AWAITING BUS. MAINT DETERMINED ACFT WAS SAFE TO TOW TO ACR GATES INFORMING US THAT THE WHEEL HAD FALLEN OFF DUE TO A BROKEN AXLE. AT ACR OPS, WE CALLED MR X IN THE TWR FOR HIS RPT ALONG WITH CALLS TO DISPATCH AND THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE, PER ACR OPS MANUAL REQUIREMENTS. I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO THE CTLRS ON DUTY FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING HANDLING OF OUR FLT, TO THE EXCEPTIONALLY HELPFUL ACR STATION PERSONNEL AND ESPECIALLY TO MRS Y WHOSE QUICK THINKING AND RESPONSE MAKE HER THE REAL HERO OF THE DAY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 512895: AFTER TKOF FROM RWY 23L IN RDU, HEADED FOR IAD, TWR ADVISED US THAT A LCL FBO EMPLOYEE RPTED TO HAVE SEEN A TIRE FALL OFF OUR ACFT SHORTLY AFTER TKOF. WE DECLARED AN EMER AND STATED OUR INTENTION TO RETURN TO THE FIELD. AFTER RUNNING VARIOUS CHKLISTS, BRIEFING THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX, DISPATCH AND US DECIDED THAT RETURNING TO RDU WAS THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION. DURING A LOW APCH TO RWY 23L THE MISSING OF THE L INBOARD MAIN TIRE WAS CONFIRMED BY TWR AND A COMPANY ACFT. FOR THE FINAL LNDG WE BRIEFED AN ILS TO A VISUAL APCH FOR RWY 23R (THE LONGER RWY) AND THE MINIMAL USE OF BRAKES (ANTISKID INOP). WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY AND ROLLED OFF THE RWY ONTO THE PARALLEL TXWY, WHERE WE ORDERLY SHUT DOWN AND DEPLANED THE PAX ONTO AN AWAITING BUS. ATC CTLRS AND FBO PERSONNEL MADE THIS SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME POSSIBLE AND MADE IT ONCE AGAIN OBVIOUS THAT A SUCCESSFUL FLT IS ALWAYS A TEAM ISSUE OF FLT AND GND PERSONNEL. THE CAUSE OF WHAT WAS LATER DETERMINED A BROKEN AXLE AND LOSS OF THE TIRE, HUB AND ATTACHED WHEEL ASSEMBLY WAS METAL FATIGUE. CRACKS AT THAT POINT ARE NOT PREFLTABLE AND SHOULD BE COVERED IN A MAINT PROC.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.