Two JetBlue planes collided on the tarmac of Boston Logan International Airport in the US state of Massachusetts on early Thursday (Feb 8), damaging both aircraft but causing no reported injuries. The United States’ top aviation regulator said that it would investigate the incident.
What we know about the collision
The collision took place Thursday morning when the “left winglet” of JetBlue Flight 777 struck the “right horizontal stabilizer” of JetBlue Flight 551, said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a statement. Both aircraft were an Airbus 321.
Flight 777 was entering a de-icing pad lane before taking off for Las Vegas when it struck Flight 551 which was on the de-icing pad adjacent to it, on its way to Orlando, according to the FAA.
“The event happened in an area of the tarmac that is controlled by the airline,” said FAA spokesperson Elizabeth Isham Cory. The incident took place around 6:40 am (local time).
“One wingtip touched another plane’s tail. No injuries, but both flights cancelled,” a spokesperson for Massport or Massachusetts Port Authority told WBZ-TV, calling the incident “very minor”.
Airline responds
No injuries were reported by customers or crew members on either aircraft, said the airline, adding that “both aircraft will be taken out of service for repairs.”
“Safety is JetBlue’s priority, and we will work to determine how and why this incident occurred,” said the company in a statement.
It also said that the passengers were moved to other aircraft and both flights reportedly took off shortly after the incident.
‘A little collision’
A passenger named Mary Menna who was on the flight to Las Vegas involved in the incident told the local radio “We had a little collision.” She added, “It was a bump. Like it wasn’t a huge crash.”
Casey Cunningham who was on the Orlando-bound flight recalled the incident and said “The plane does jolt a little bit, we definitely feel the plane move,” as quoted by the New York Times.
She added, “The captain comes over the intercom and says, ‘We felt that, just so you all know,’” and explained what happened.
Larger issue?
There have been a number of frequent close calls between flights in the US, both on the ground and mid-air recently.
The incidents have prompted the FAA to allocate more than $100 million across several airports, including Boston Logan International Airport which received nearly $45 million to address the issues.
Last year in September, eight people were injured after a JetBlue flight bound for Florida experienced sudden severe turbulence right before landing.
(With inputs from agencies)
