Two United Airlines aircraft collided with each other while on the runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport. The incident took place on Friday night when a United Airlines flight bound for Chicago accidentally brushed against another plane getting ready to depart for Houston.
Flight 580's wingtip hit the tail of Flight 434, which was stopped on the runway at the time, according to United. Both planes then returned safely to the gate, and passengers were able to get off without any issues, the airline told the Daily Mail. No one was hurt in the incident. All 328 passengers and 15 crew members from the two planes were safe, United confirmed.
Big Tragedy Avoided
"We all felt a bump during taxi to the runway but didn't know it was another plane until the captain said it was," a passenger who declined to give their name told The New York Post. Photos from the scene show several emergency vehicles gathered on the tarmac after the planes made contact.
United said maintenance crews are now inspecting the damaged aircraft to ensure it's safe and free of any technical issues.
The collision took place as airports across the New York City area were battling powerful winds. Earlier in the evening, LaGuardia had even halted flights because of gusts reaching up to 45 mph.
Airports are also seeing more delays and cancellations across the country, largely due to staffing shortages linked to the ongoing government shutdown, which has now dragged on for a month.
Flights Delayed
The Houston-bound plane involved in the incident had already been delayed for about 90 minutes before the collision. Just a day earlier, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby had joined the heads of Delta, Southwest, and American Airlines at the White House to voice their support for the Republican-led bill aimed at reopening the government.
"It's putting real stress on the economy," United CEO Scott Kirby told reporters, explaining that the ongoing shutdown has started to hurt flight bookings.
"It's time to pass a clean CR," he added, referring to a short-term spending bill to reopen the government.
Nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay during the shutdown, and in recent days, many have begun calling in sick, worsening delays nationwide.
According to FlightAware, more than 5,700 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were delayed on Thursday alone.
