Anna Hartz
Air travel depends on careful timing and precise movements.
At busy airports, dozens of planes are often moving across the ground at the same time. Even with strict safety procedures, small accidents can still happen during taxiing, especially in crowded areas near gates and runways.
That was the case at Chicago O’Hare International Airport when two large aircraft made contact during afternoon traffic, reports WP. A United Airlines plane arriving from Boston lightly struck the tail of a parked ANA Cargo aircraft while taxiing toward its gate.
The damage
According to airport officials, the United flight clipped the tail section of an ANA Cargo Boeing 777F with its wing. The Japanese cargo plane was waiting for clearance to depart for Tokyo when the incident happened.
United Airlines was operating flight UA1834 from Boston. ANA Cargo was preparing flight NH8421 to Narita Airport in Japan. Early reports described the damage as minor. Experts said the contact appeared to be a small graze rather than a major collision.
Emergency crews responded quickly after the two aircraft touched. Air traffic control recordings showed that the ANA crew was told to stay in position while airport staff checked the situation.
Controllers informed the cargo crew that another aircraft may have struck their tail. They were then instructed to continue forward and turn onto another taxiway so inspections could begin safely away from the active area.
No harm
United Airlines later confirmed the incident in a statement. The company said the Boeing 737 lightly touched another aircraft while taxiing to the gate. Passengers left the plane normally through the jet bridge after arrival.
No injuries were reported on either aircraft. The United flight was carrying 154 passengers along with seven crew members. The ANA cargo plane had only its operating crew on board.
Both aircraft were removed from service after the incident. Airlines normally ground planes after even small accidents until engineers complete full inspections. Technicians must examine the structure carefully to make sure there are no hidden problems that could affect safety later.
Investigations are now being carried out by both airlines and airport authorities. Repair work could take days or even weeks depending on the final inspection results. For now, both aircraft remain parked at O’Hare while experts continue their checks.
