2 planes collide on the ground in Miami, only minor injuries reported
MIAMI (AP) — Federal aviation safety officials on Sunday were investigating a minor collision between two planes at a taxiway intersection at Miami International Airport, where one aircraft's wingtip struck the nose of another, authorities said. Two people reported minor injuries.
The accident happened at about 9 p.m. Saturday and involved a Copa Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft with 172 people aboard and a UPS Boeing 767 cargo plane, according to the National Transportation Safety Board and Copa Airlines. The wing of the Copa flight and the nose of the UPS plane collided, the NTSB said.
Photos taken at the scene show the UPS plane nose with a horizontal gash on one side and a larger hole in the middle.
On audio recorded by ATC.com, a pilot on the UPS plane told air traffic control that he went too far at the intersection and his plane was clipped by the Copa flight. Air traffic control told the UPS pilot that he was supposed to yield to the Copa aircraft.
The NTSB said Sunday that preliminary information showed the UPS plane was instructed to give way to the Copa Airlines flight but did not stop. The UPS aircraft had substantial damage, while an assessment of the Copa plane had not been completed, it said. The NTSB said it opened an investigation and expected a preliminary report to be released within 30 days.
The Copa plane had just arrived from Panama City and the UPS plane was headed to Bogota, Colombia, officials said.
In a statement on social media, Copa called the collision minor and said two of its passengers were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
UPS said it was working with authorities to determine what happened.
“We cannot speculate on the details of the incident,” UPS said in a statement. “The National Transportation Safety Board is responsible for investigating incidents like this and will control the flow of information.”
The mishap came two months after an Amazon cargo plane careened off a runway at Miami International and smashed into a van carrying workers for a company that cleans airplanes, killing five people.
© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
