An eyewitness has come forward with their account following a collision involving two United Airlines planes at a New York airport.
The incident took place on Friday (October 31) when the two aircraft made contact while on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport.
One of the planes involved was a United Airlines flight returning from Orlando. As it attempted to park at its assigned gate, it struck the tail of another United Airlines aircraft that was preparing to taxi for its departure to Houston.
Subsequent to the collision, both planes were directed back to their gates, and all passengers were asked to disembark so that damage assessments could be conducted.
Fortunately, there were no injuries reported among the passengers or crew members.
It is noted that during the time of the incident, the airport was experiencing significant delays attributed to challenging weather conditions.
The New York Post mentioned that the flight scheduled for Houston was already delayed by 90 minutes, with several other flights canceled due to the adverse weather.
Additionally, the airport was grappling with staffing shortages amid the government shutdown.
A passenger recounted to The Post: “We all felt a bump during taxi to the runway but didn’t know it was another plane until the captain said it was.”
Addressing the staff shortages affecting New York particularly, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a statement on Friday night, clarifying: “Nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay for weeks, ensuring the safety of more than 50,000 daily operations across the national airspace system (NAS).
“As we head into this weekend, a surge in callouts is straining staffing levels at multiple facilities, leading to widespread impacts across the NAS. Currently, half of our Core 30 facilities are experiencing staffing shortages, and nearly 80 per cent of air traffic controllers are absent at New York–area facilities.
“After 31 days without pay, air traffic controllers are under immense stress and fatigue.
“The shutdown must end so that these controllers receive the pay they’ve earned and travelers can avoid further disruptions and delays.
“As we continue to reiterate, we will never compromise on safety. When staffing shortages occur, the FAA will reduce the flow of air traffic to maintain safety. This may result in delays or cancellations.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson explained: “On Friday evening, United flight 580 was turning into its arrival gate when it made contact with the tail of United flight 434, which was stationary on the taxiway.
“Both planes returned to the gate and passengers deplaned normally. No injuries were reported. We are working to get our customers to their destination as quickly as possible.”
This marks the second incident at LaGuardia within a month.
Earlier, on October 1, two Delta planes had a collision on the tarmac.
At that time, a spokesperson noted there was a ‘low-speed collision,’ with one plane’s wing making contact with another.