The FAA is investigating after two planes clipped wings at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday morning.
United Airlines said the flight from Newark to Orlando, Florida, was parked at the gate when another much larger United aircraft clipped its wing while being relocated.
The passengers on Flight 2135 to Orlando were able to deplane normally without injury.
One passenger onboard the Orlando-bound flight described the situation after the Boeing 757 had just returned to the gate due to a maintenance issue.
The pilot then came on the overhead speaker and calmly said, “Obviously, our wing has been clipped.”
Another airplane clipping incident this time in Newark. The wing of a United plane parked at a gate was clipped by another United plane, without passengers onboard. Passengers on the first aircraft deplaned normally. No one hurt and customers rebooked. #nbc4ny pic.twitter.com/w8emKIAY4k
— Pei-Sze Cheng (@PeiSzeCheng4NY) February 3, 2023
The FAA released the following statement:
“The United Flight 2135 was struck by a Boeing 787, a Dreamliner, that arrived from Johannesburg, South Africa earlier in the morning. The much larger plane was being relocated by a tug when it made contact with the smaller Boeing 757, parked at the gate.”