7 May, San Francisco
Two United Airlines planes clipped wings during pushback at San Francisco International Airport, causing no injuries.
Early Monday morning, two United Airlines planes collided slightly at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) when their wings touched during a pushback operation. The collision happened at about 12:35 a.m. in a section not directly monitored by air traffic controllers.
The planes involved were Flight UA877, which was flying to Hong Kong with 306 passengers and 16 crew members, and Flight UA863, which was flying to Sydney with 202 passengers and 16 crew. Both were Boeing 777 aircraft.
There were no reports of injuries, and all the passengers disembarked safely. United Airlines is rebooking disrupted passengers and is investigating the accident.
One passenger on board one of the flights opined that ground crew negligence could have led to the occurrence, implying mechanical faults also as a possibility.
This incident comes on the heels of an April 10, 2025, incident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, between two American Airlines flights collided wingtip-to-wingtip while taxiing. The two planes received winglet damage and were taken out of service for repairs. Interestingly, one of those planes had five members of the U.S. Congress on board
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is monitoring investigations into the incidents. United Airlines stressed passenger safety and apologized for the inconvenience caused.
These events have caused alarm regarding aviation safety and air traffic control management. United Airlines recently reduced 35 flights at Newark because of FAA technology malfunctions and staffing shortages. CEO Scott Kirby attributed an understaffed air traffic control system as one of the causes.
The Trump administration has made new recruitment and incentive strategies to try and stem controller shortages, with the goal of achieving full staffing within 3-4 years. Industry experts highlight the imperative for upgrades and wider-ranging improvements to aviation infrastructure and systems.
While investigations are ongoing, United Airlines and the FAA are likely to study procedures to prevent similar incidents.
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