In the early hours of Tuesday, two United Airlines airplanes collided at San Francisco International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
A flight bound for Sydney had just been pushed from the gate when its right wing made contact with the left wing tip of another plane preparing to depart for Hong Kong, as outlined by the FAA in a statement.
Fortunately, airline representatives reported that no injuries occurred, allowing passengers from both flights to disembark without issues.
United Airlines mentioned they are assisting customers in rebooking their travel plans.
The FAA indicated that the incident took place in areas where air traffic controllers typically do not communicate with ground operations.
The agency confirmed it would be conducting a thorough investigation into the event, which transpired around 12:35 a.m. local time on May 6th.
The flight to China carried 306 passengers plus 16 crew members, while the Australian flight had 202 passengers and a crew of 16 as well.
Recent months have seen an uptick in aviation incidents, escalating concerns amid a shortage of air traffic controllers and the ongoing efforts to revamp the FAA.
This incident follows a tragic collision between an Army helicopter and a passenger aircraft near the capital earlier this year, which resulted in over 60 fatalities, marking the deadliest aviation accident since 2001.
