I'm still thinking that "stop in Oakland" could refer somehow to the reassembly/repair, post-crash in Hawai'i. Doesn't seem that something as drastic as changing out an entire wheel would be more likely to refer to the latter? Also, where's the tire? If this wheel was a keepsake, wouldn't the tire most likely be with it still, unless it was already blown off? Is it safe to postulate--theoretically only--that if this wheel is somehow connected to AE, it came out of box #5 shipped from Luke Field, HI to California, containing "Two (2) landing gear forks with wheels & tires?"
Or is this thing absolutely (as close as we can tell)
not what was on Electra before the Hawai'i crash, and would therefore have to be some replacement/upgraded wheel that was tried during repairs, and swapped out for some reason [higher takeoff weights, as someone else suggested?], in the end?
Or, of course, something from another bird altogether.
New pics have been posted, including:
Wheel