Two aircraft collided while moving along the taxiways at Miami International Airport on Saturday night, leaving two passengers with minor injuries. The incident involved a Copa Airlines Boeing 737 and a UPS Boeing 767 cargo plane.
How Did The Collision Happen?
The collision happened around 9:15 pm local time when the wingtip of the Copa Airlines aircraft struck the nose of the UPS plane, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Copa flight had arrived from Panama City with 166 passengers and six crew members on board. The UPS aircraft was preparing to take off for Bogota, Colombia.
Copa Airlines confirmed in a statement that all passengers had left the aircraft safely and returned to the terminal. Two passengers received treatment from airport paramedics for minor injuries. The remaining passengers and crew members were reported to be safe.
Pilots and Passengers Recall the Collision
Air traffic control recordings captured the conversation between the pilots and ground controllers after the incident. The Copa pilot alerted the controller, saying, "Somebody hit us."
When asked whether the UPS aircraft had made contact with the passenger plane, its pilot admitted, "Yeah, we went too far, and then he, he clipped us with the wing." The Copa pilot later said that the aircraft appeared to have lost its left wingtip.
The FAA said air traffic controllers had instructed the UPS crew to give way to the Copa flight. The agency is investigating the incident to find out how the collision happened.
A passenger, Cesar Ferreira, described the experience to CNN. He said the aircraft was taxiing normally after landing when passengers suddenly heard people shouting before feeling the impact.
"Inside the cabin, we felt the plane jerk abruptly sideways," Ferreira said. He added that the crew quickly asked everyone to remain seated. About 10 minutes later, the captain told passengers there was no immediate danger and that a tug would be brought in to move the aircraft.
UPS confirmed that its crew was safe and said it would cooperate with the investigation. Copa Airlines also apologised for the inconvenience and said passenger safety remained its priority.
ALSO READ: One Router, Over 9,000 Canceled Flights: How An L3Harris Upgrade Paralyzed US Aviation
Collision Follows US Flight Disruptions
The incident happened a day after a nationwide flight suspension caused major travel problems across the US. The FAA had ordered a ground stop on Friday following an outage in a network used by air traffic controllers to communicate with pilots.
The outage lasted nearly five hours, disrupting over 20,000 flights, with a faulty L3Harris-installed router suspected to have caused the outage. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said airlines were expected to resume normal flight operations by Sunday evening.
Fatal Accident At Miami Airport
The collision comes just two months after another serious accident at the same airport. On September 6, an Amazon cargo Boeing 767 arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, overshot the runway, broke through a perimeter fence and hit two vehicles.
Five people were killed and five others were injured. Investigators later examined flight data suggesting that the aircraft had tried to abort its landing before leaving the runway.
ALSO READ: Air India Restores Non-Stop India-New York Flights, Cuts Travel Time By Up To Five Hours
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.