A UPS cargo plane and a Copa Airlines passenger jet collided while taxiing at Miami International Airport on Saturday night. Two people were treated for minor injuries, airport officials said.
The FAA said the wingtip of the Copa Boeing 737 struck the nose of the UPS Boeing 767 at about 9 p.m. local time. The Copa flight was taxiing to its gate after arriving, while the UPS aircraft was preparing to leave for Bogotá, Colombia. Air traffic controllers had told the UPS crew to yield to the Copa jet, according to the agency, which is investigating the incident.
Greg Chin, communications director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, said the aircraft made contact at the intersection of two taxiways at about 9:15 p.m. He said planes were rerouted to other taxiways and airport operations were not affected. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue treated two people at the scene; neither needed to be taken to a hospital.
In audio of the exchange with air traffic control, a pilot on the Copa flight said, “Somebody just hit us.” A controller then asked the UPS crew whether it had struck the other plane. The UPS pilot replied, “Yeah, we went too far and he clipped us with his wing.”
Copa Airlines said Flight CM427 had arrived from Panama City, Panama, carrying 166 passengers and six crew members. The airline said the left wingtip of its 737 was involved in the collision. Passengers left the plane at the terminal, and two were treated for apparent minor injuries.
UPS said its crew was safe and that it would work with authorities to establish what happened. The company said the safety of its employees and the public was its top priority.
The collision happened as U.S. airports continued to recover from a nationwide FAA ground stop on Friday. Radar and communications systems experienced instability, disrupting thousands of flights. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that air traffic control communications had returned to full operation. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said airlines expected to resume their full schedules by the end of Sunday.
