LaGuardia Airport Clip - At around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, two Boeing 737 commercial airplanes collided on the taxiway of LaGuardia International Airport in New York. No injuries were reported however the collision caused some delays as affected passengers must rebooked to their respective destinations.
During the LaGuardia Airport clip incident, Southwest Airlines plane and the American Airlines jet collided into one another on the tarmac on Tuesday morning, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reported. According to ABC News, both commercial planes were a Boeing 737 model. While Southwest Airlines Flight 449 have 143 passengers on board, the American Airlines Flight 1104 was holding 149 passengers.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration authorities, Southwest Airlines Flight 449 was taxiing to a runway for departure when the tip of one of its wings was clipped by the tail of American Airlines Flight 1104 that was headed to a gate. As reported by NBC News New York, both commercial planes were able to leave the tarmac using their own propulsion systems.
Southwest Airlines released a statement saying its commercial aircraft, involved in the LaGuardia Airport clip incident, bound for Denver has been taken out for service for inspection and repairs, CNN reported.
"The wingtip of the aircraft operating Southwest Airlines Flight #449 departing from New York LaGuardia to Denver came in contact with another aircraft that was awaiting a gate," Southwest Airlines said via a statement. "The 143 customers on board [Southwest] Flight 449 deplaned the aircraft via air stairs and were [bused] to the terminal where our teams are working to get them to their destinations."
The American Airlines also gave its own statement regarding the LaGuardia Airport clip incident. Its Flight 1104 had originated from Dallas Fort-Worth.
"[The plane] was taxiing to its gate at LaGuardia Airport when it's left horizontal stabilizer and the winglet [a vertical extension of an airliner wing that is designed to save fuel] of a moving Southwest Airlines 737 made contact," American Airlines stated.
It also added that the flight's 143 passengers and six crews exited the plane normally through the aircraft bridge. The plane is also being inspected while the passengers will be moved to a different plane.
Meanwhile, Ari Isaacman Astles, a New York TImes editor who was on one of the planes posted photos of the broken wing on Twitter.
Live from LaGuardia: Southwest plane I'm on had its wing clipped; impact with American plane. Unclear what happened. pic.twitter.com/UZIKdBNNMK
— Arí Isaacman Astles (@Ari_Be_Free) December 23, 2014
Though the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the LaGuardia Airport clip incident did not impact its operations, the Federal Aviation Administration said that they will conduct an investigation about the incident.
