Collision on Miami International Airport taxiway injures two, operations continue
A Copa Airlines Boeing 737 and a UPS Boeing 767 made contact on a Miami International Airport taxiway, resulting in minor injuries to two people but no major disruption to airport traffic.
Two aircraft collided on a taxiway at Miami International Airport Saturday night, federal officials said. The wingtip of a Copa Airlines Boeing 737 struck the nose of a UPS Boeing 767 at about 9 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is leading the investigation.
Greg Chin, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, reported that two individuals received treatment for minor injuries at the scene and that flights were redirected to alternate taxiways, allowing airport operations to continue without interruption. The Copa flight was carrying 166 passengers and six crew members, the airline said.
Air traffic controllers had instructed the UPS crew to yield to the Copa aircraft. The Copa plane was taxiing to a gate after arriving from Panama City, while the UPS aircraft was preparing for departure to Bogotá, Colombia. The contact occurred at the intersection of two taxiways, Chin added.
"Somebody hit us," a Copa pilot said in a radio transmission to controllers after the incident.
"We went too far and then he clipped us with the wing," a UPS pilot reported.
Both airlines said they would cooperate with the investigation. The incident follows a runway overrun involving an Amazon cargo jet at the same airport two months earlier, which resulted in five fatalities. It also comes amid widespread flight disruptions after a nationwide ground stop triggered by an upgrade to air-traffic-control communications equipment.