United Airlines passengers were left stunned after two of the carrier’s planes collided on the ground at San Francisco International Airport, forcing both flights to return to the gate.
According to reports, Flight 1871, which was headed to Denver, was being pushed back from the gate Monday night when its tail clipped the parked Boston-bound Flight 796. Passengers on both planes were quickly deplaned and rebooked on new aircraft.
United Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement to the Daily Beast, saying, “On Monday night, a United aircraft being pushed back from the gate at San Francisco International Airport made contact with the tail of a parked United aircraft. No injuries occurred, and passengers on both planes deplaned normally. We arranged for different aircraft to take our customers to their destinations.”
Several passengers took to social media claiming they felt the planes “shake” when the tails made contact. The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating the incident.
Unfortunately for United, this isn’t the only recent mishap. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a separate United flight bound for Baltimore, Flight 2664, was forced to turn back just an hour into its journey Tuesday after passengers and crew reported smelling burning plastic in the cabin.
What's Up Team