2 United Planes Collide on San Francisco Runway

Two United Airlines planes collided on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on Monday night, the airline and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have confirmed. 

According to the FAA, which is investigating the event, “United Airlines flight 1871 struck United Airlines flight 796 while pushing back from the gate.” The airline explained the moving plane made contact with the tail of the parked United aircraft. 

The collision occurred in “an area where air traffic controllers do not communicate with flights,” per the FAA.

Typically, an Air Traffic Control Ground Controller communicates with the pilot, telling them when it is safe to push back from the gate and helping them navigate to the their takeoff position while crossing active runways, according to How Stuff Works. For takeoff, the Ground Controller passes communication over to the Local Controller in the tower.

The incident occurred around 9:10 p.m. local time on Labor Day, Sept.1 — one of the busiest travel holidays of the year. 

Flight 1871 to Denver was later towed back to the gate and both aircrafts deplaned. 

A United spokesperson confirmed no injuries occurred and the airline arranged for different aircraft to take passengers to their destinations. 

Near misses and potential collisions between planes are an increasing concern, according to an investigation by the New York Times.

In August 2023, the Times released a report digging into the recent alarming uptick in close calls happening between aircrafts, both in the sky and on the tarmac, including why they happen and why the public often doesn’t know about them.

According to the investigation, incidents involving aircrafts nearly coming into contact with one another have seen a rapid rise across the country, involving almost every airport and major airline.

The report cited a lack of warning systems at airports coupled with a staffing shortage of air traffic controllers as some of the main contributing factors to these near-catastrophes that happen, on average, multiple times a week.  

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Earlier this year, two people were injured after two planes collided at Charleston International Airport.

At around 9:30 p.m. local time on July 18, Breeze Airways flight MX509 from Las Vegas to Norfolk, Va., landed in South Carolina due to thunderstorms near Norfolk International Airport, the airline confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement. 

The airline said its Airbus A220-300 was parked and awaiting fuel before continuing to Virginia when the plane’s tail was struck by a Boeing 787-10 belonging to All Nippon Airways. The collision occurred around 9:50 p.m.

Local outlet WCSC reported law enforcement and emergency medical personnel were called to the scene. 

All of the passengers on the Breeze Airways flight deplaned and bussed to the terminal. The airline said two people were “evaluated for minor injuries.”

A new aircraft eventually took all of the passengers aboard the Breeze Airways flight to Virginia, and they arrived in Norfolk at 2:50 a.m. on Saturday, July 19.