Two Planes Coll!de On Miami Airport Tarmac, Two !njured
Two Planes Collide On Miami Airport Tarmac, Two Injured
Two aircraft collided on the tarmac at Miami International Airport on Saturday night, leaving two people with minor injuries, just a day after a nationwide flight grounding triggered widespread cancellations and travel disruptions across the United States.
According to CNN, the collision occurred at about 9:15 p.m. while a Copa Airlines Boeing 737 and a UPS Boeing 767 were taxiing after landing and preparing for departure, respectively.
“The wingtip of a Copa Airlines Boeing 737 struck the nose of a UPS Boeing 767 while the airplanes were taxiing,” the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Greg Chin, the airport’s communications director, told CNN that two people sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene by fire and rescue teams.
A Copa Airlines passenger, Cesar Ferreira, described the moment the aircraft collided, saying he heard noise from other passengers before the impact.
“We were taxiing after landing at a normal speed when, all of a sudden, I heard the chatter around me getting louder, followed by a collective scream and then the impact of another aircraft hitting ours,” Ferreira told CNN.
“Inside the cabin, we felt the plane jerk abruptly sideways. At first, some passengers started freaking out, but the Copa crew reacted quickly, getting everyone to remain seated,” he added.
Air traffic controllers had instructed the UPS crew to give way to the Copa aircraft, according to the FAA, which has launched an investigation into the incident.
Audio recordings of communications between the pilots and air traffic controllers captured the moments after the collision.
“Somebody hit us,” the Copa Airlines pilot said as the air traffic controller asked the UPS crew whether the aircraft had made contact.
“Yeah, we went too far, and then he, he clipped us with the wing,” the UPS pilot replied.
“It seems that we are missing the left wingtip,” the Copa pilot said later.
Ferreira said the captain announced about 10 minutes after the collision that there was no immediate danger and that a tug would be brought in to move the aircraft.
Copa Airlines said all 166 passengers and six crew members had disembarked, adding that the aircraft was returned to the terminal.
A photograph of the UPS aircraft showed its nose crumpled, with a large hole in its panels.
The Copa Airlines flight had arrived in Miami from Panama City, Panama, while the UPS aircraft was preparing to depart for Bogotá, Colombia, when the collision occurred.
UPS said it was “committed to working with authorities to determine what happened” and confirmed that its crew was safe.
Copa Airlines, in a statement, said it “regrets the disruption this incident may cause our passengers. The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority, and we will cooperate with authorities as they investigate.”
The collision occurred as airports across the United States continued efforts to restore normal operations following an FAA ground stop on Friday, which resulted in widespread flight disruptions and left some passengers sleeping on airport terminal floors while waiting for their flights to be rebooked.
