Passengers were “shook” after two United Airlines aircraft collided at San Francisco International Airport on Monday (1 September).
United flight 1871 to Denver struck Boston-bound United flight 796 at around 9.10pm local time.
According to the airline, the United Boeing 737-900 “made contact with the tail of a parked United aircraft” when it pushed back from the gate.
A social media user who claimed to be on board flight 796 wrote on Reddit: “Was in the middle of boarding when the plane shook; FAs (flight attendants) told us to deplane, and one of the pilots said we’d been hit. Seems like United ground crew is having a tough year.”
No passengers were injured during the incident and both aircraft deplaned safely after flight 1871 was towed back to the gate.
United said that alternative aircraft were arranged for customers to continue their journeys.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident.
It said that the minor collision “occurred in an area where air traffic controllers do not communicate with flights.”
This summer, United faced further problems when a flight bound for San Francisco made a dramatic turnaround back to Heathrow after “fumes” filled the plane’s food preparation area.
Flight UA949 took off from London Heathrow at 12.45pm on 30 July for an 11-hour flight to the Californian city.
The Boeing 777 managed only 27 minutes in the air before unexpectedly returning to its departure base.
The plane reached as far as Milton Keynes, then deviated from its flight path and looped back to London, according to flight tracking data.
United Airlines told The Independent: “United flight 949 from London Heathrow to San Francisco returned to London shortly after take-off to address fumes in the aircraft’s galley.”
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