Two United Airlines planes clipped wings as they prepared for departure from San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday — the latest mishap involving air travel around the US.
United Airlines Flight 863 was pushing back to begin its journey to Sydney, Australia at around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday when its right wing clipped the wing of Hong Kong-bound United Airlines Flight 877, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to CNN.
The accident happened “in an area where air traffic controllers do not communicate with flight crews,” the FAA told the outlet.
However, an Air Traffic Controller had allegedly pointed out that Flight 863 was “pushing pretty deep” moments before the mishap, according to ABC 7.
In the recording, the air traffic controller allegedly told the pilot of the Sydney-bound United flight to watch out for other aircraft as it pushed back from the gate.
United Airlines Flight 863 was carrying 202 passengers and 16 crew members while United Airlines Flight 877 had 306 passengers and 16 crew members on board, according to FlightAware.
A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed the collision and shared that “no injuries occurred.”
“Passengers on both planes deplaned normally,” the spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “We are working with our customers to rebook them on other flights.”
The FAA said they are investigating the incident.
The accident is the latest in a string of incidents being investigated by the FAA.
Last week, a fried piece of copper wire sparked a 90-second radar and communications blackout for air traffic controllers overseeing Newark Liberty International Airport.
The saga resulted in thousands of delays and flight cancellations in recent days, which the FAA blamed on a shortage of air traffic controllers at the airport and runway construction.
United CEO Scott Kirby previously slammed air traffic controllers for “walking off the job” following the outages, saying 20% of the FAA staffers overseeing Newark flights had taken leave due to the equipment failures.
United, which accounts for 75% of Newark’s traffic, announced it was canceling 35 daily flights into and out of the New Jersey hub to mitigate the snarl resulting from air traffic controller shortages.
In late April, a plane carrying congressional representatives from New York and New Jersey was struck by another aircraft at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport — the site of a Jan. 29 mid-air crash that killed 67 people.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it would “investigate” the 12:45 p.m. incident on the DCA taxiway, when the JFK-bound American Airlines flight carrying the lawmakers was bumped by an AA Bombardier CRJ900 bound for Charleston, SC.
“American Eagle flight 5490, operated by PSA Airlines, made contact on a DCA taxiway with American Eagle flight 4522, operated by Republic Airways. Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience,” an American Airlines spokesperson said.
In another incident on March 29, a Delta Airlines plane carrying 136 people nearly collided during takeoff with a military jet group of four Northrop T38 Talons headed for a flyover at nearby Arlington National Cemetery.
A day later, a United Airlines flight hit a kite while landing at the airport, which experts at the time said could have been dangerous had the kite been sucked into the plane’s engine.
The FAA is also investigating a Delta Air Lines plane wing hitting the runway at LaGuardia Airport during an unsteady landing in March.
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