United Airlines Planes Collide at San Francisco Airport

On Labor Day, two United Airlines planes had a minor collision at San Francisco International Airport, as confirmed by the airline. A representative stated that a plane being towed back from the gates accidentally struck the tail of a parked aircraft.

No injuries were reported. Passengers on both flights managed to board other planes to continue their journeys. The incident involved flight UA796, which was headed to Boston, and UA1871, flying to Denver. As expected, the mishap quickly drew attention on social media.

One user noted, “We collided with two 737 aircraft on San Francisco United Airlines last night,” suggesting a possible equipment failure with the towing bar as the cause. They further mentioned that UA796 was at the gate with passengers onboard when the incident occurred, which included photos shared originally on Reddit by Storyful.

In a reaction from a passenger, they recalled waiting to see if another plane could be arranged. “It was just a small bump, but the plane shook a bit. The pilot announced it a few moments later,” they said on Reddit. Another passenger felt the collision was significant enough to resemble an earthquake, sharing their experience with a local news outlet.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently looking into the matter. Interestingly, a similar situation occurred back in May when a United plane’s right wing clipped another plane’s left wing as it was departing.