Two United Airlines planes were involved in a minor collision at San Francisco International Airport on Labor Day, the airline confirmed. A United spokesperson disclosed, “Monday night, a United aircraft being pushed back from the gate at San Francisco International Airport made contact with the tail of a parked United aircraft.” The event, which occurred in the early evening, involved UA796, a flight heading to Boston, colliding with UA1871, which was bound for Denver.
According to aviation community X account @Airline_Secret, the collision resulted from a failure of the tug’s tow bar. The account detailed, “UA796 was boarding passengers at the gate, the tug broke away on UA1871 and the aircraft rolled back.” A photo published by the account on Reddit reportedly captured the moment of the incident. Although no injuries were reported, passengers on both planes experienced the impact of the collision as a light jolt, with one passenger noting it felt like an earthquake. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating the incident to determine the cause and ensure the safety of air travel.
Passengers on both flights were able to board alternative flights to reach their intended destinations. Local news outlet KGO reported that passengers described the event as a momentary but startling incident. The airport’s operations team worked swiftly to manage the situation, minimizing disruptions to the overall air travel schedule.
This incident is not the first of its kind at San Francisco International Airport this year, as a similar collision occurred in May when a United Airlines plane’s right wingtip collided with another plane’s left wingtip. This incident has raised concerns about the safety of aircraft movement at gate areas and prompted calls for a review of operational procedures. The FAA is expected to release its findings on the matter, possibly leading to changes in protocols to prevent future incidents.
As aviation authorities continue their investigation into the cause of the collision, the focus remains on ensuring that similar incidents do not occur in the future. The incident has also sparked discussions within the aviation community about the need to enhance safety measures for gate movements and the importance of maintaining rigorous checks on equipment such as tugs and tow bars.