Delta spokesperson Samantha Moore Facteau said in an email that its Boeing 737 was waiting to have ice removed from its exterior when the wing tip of another aircraft reportedly made contact with its tail. Deicing, as it’s known, can occur before a flight begins to taxi to the runway, she said.
There were 142 passengers onboard the flight to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and they were being transferred to a new aircraft, she said. There were no reports of injuries for the crew or passengers.
Jason Chan, one of the passengers on the Delta flight, said the plane “jiggled back and forth” and shook a little bit when the collision occurred. Shortly after, the captain announced that the plane’s tail had been hit. Passengers remained calm, Chan said, and eventually got off the plane to be bused back to the terminal.
Chan said the whole incident seemed “surreal”, but that his group of six was making the most of it while waiting in the lounge for their rescheduled flight.
Airport operations were minimally impacted because the incident occurred on a taxi lane, authorities said.
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate, spokesperson Sam Lichtman said in an emailed statement.
Source: CNA
