United Airlines plane narrowly avoids catastrophic disaster at O'Hare airport after clipping tail of fellow aircraft.
A United Airlines flight from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, experienced a harrowing incident on Friday as it clipped the tail of another United aircraft at Chicago's O'Hare airport. Miraculously, no passengers were injured in the collision, but 113 travelers were left waiting for over an hour after their plane made an emergency stop to document damage.
The alarming incident has raised concerns about aviation safety amid a recent uptick in close calls and crashes. Last month, a helicopter collided with an airliner at Ronald Reagan Washington National airport, resulting in one of the deadliest plane crashes in the US in decades. Just weeks prior, two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided at LaGuardia airport in New York, leaving a flight attendant injured.
According to officials, the second United aircraft suffered damage to its horizontal stabilizer after being struck by the wingtip of the first plane. Fortunately, neither aircraft was moving when they made contact, significantly reducing the risk of serious injury or fatalities. However, for passengers like Bill Marcus, who was on board the flight from Wyoming, the experience was still jarring.
"I didn't feel anything at first," Marcus recounted to CBS News Chicago. "But when they separated the planes, there was some shuddering. It took about 40 extra minutes to get to the gate – I was shocked that I didn't feel something more." The incident served as a sobering reminder of the risks inherent in air travel and highlights the importance of prioritizing safety protocols in the aviation industry.
A United Airlines flight from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, experienced a harrowing incident on Friday as it clipped the tail of another United aircraft at Chicago's O'Hare airport. Miraculously, no passengers were injured in the collision, but 113 travelers were left waiting for over an hour after their plane made an emergency stop to document damage.
The alarming incident has raised concerns about aviation safety amid a recent uptick in close calls and crashes. Last month, a helicopter collided with an airliner at Ronald Reagan Washington National airport, resulting in one of the deadliest plane crashes in the US in decades. Just weeks prior, two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided at LaGuardia airport in New York, leaving a flight attendant injured.
According to officials, the second United aircraft suffered damage to its horizontal stabilizer after being struck by the wingtip of the first plane. Fortunately, neither aircraft was moving when they made contact, significantly reducing the risk of serious injury or fatalities. However, for passengers like Bill Marcus, who was on board the flight from Wyoming, the experience was still jarring.
"I didn't feel anything at first," Marcus recounted to CBS News Chicago. "But when they separated the planes, there was some shuddering. It took about 40 extra minutes to get to the gate – I was shocked that I didn't feel something more." The incident served as a sobering reminder of the risks inherent in air travel and highlights the importance of prioritizing safety protocols in the aviation industry.