Two aircraft were grounded after a collision on the tarmac at Miami International Airport last Thursday evening, according to officials from the airlines involved. The incident occurred as an American Airlines Boeing 777-300ER was pushing back from the gate and its wingtip struck the tail of a parked Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo.
Video footage of the mishap quickly spread on social media, showing the large vertical stabilizer of the American wide-body jet making forceful contact with the rear fuselage of the Frontier single-aisle plane. Frontier stated only crew members were on board its aircraft at the time, with no injuries reported.
“We were angry for the most part and they were doing the best to diffuse us from our angry mob state,” said passenger Christian Galvez, who was booked on the impacted Frontier flight originally scheduled to Dallas/Fort Worth. He described a scene of understandable frustration as plans were repeatedly disrupted.
Damages and Flight Disruptions
The collision caused visible damage to both aircraft, leaving a sizeable gash in the tail section of the Frontier jet. While no official cost estimates have been provided, repairs for such structural impacts can easily run into the millions for modern commercial planes. The aircraft will likely remain grounded for several weeks during inspections and maintenance work.
American Airlines flight 929, which was scheduled from Miami to São Paulo, Brazil, had to be cancelled and passengers re-accommodated after the incident. The airline stated it brought in another 777-300ER the next morning to operate the flight, which arrived over 7 hours late into Guarulhos International Airport.
Frontier’s affected Dallas-bound flight 2675 was first delayed until later that evening, but ultimately cancelled as inspectors reviewed the damage. The airline said it was working to re-book those passengers, some of whom may have been stranded overnight.
“They told us that people who were not residents would be able to get a hotel room on them and the flight was going to be moved to 1:45 in the afternoon,” Galvez recounted of Frontier’s efforts to accommodate the disrupted travelers.
Possible Causes and Investigation
While neither airline has provided definitive details, the footage suggests there may have been a communications lapse or oversight by the ground crew responsible for pushing back the American jet. Workers can be seen running toward the two planes and frantically waving to signal a halt, but too late to prevent the collision.
Both American and Frontier said they were reviewing the circumstances around the incident in partnership with airport authorities and regulators. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also typically launches an investigation into such events to determine probable causes and make safety recommendations.
Ground operations at busy airport hubs are carefully choreographed to avoid accidents, with aircraft moving along specific routes guided by marshallers. But the complexity of the process means human errors or miscommunications can potentially occur with dire consequences.
We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this caused,” American Airlines stated, confirming its 777 “made contact with the tail of a parked aircraft” during the pushback.
The Aviation Impacts
For the two airlines involved, the incident creates headaches in terms of operational disruptions, financial costs, passenger compensation and safety reviews. But its broader impacts illustrate the far-reaching effects even a seemingly localized issue can have on the highly interconnected aviation ecosystem.
With two aircraft unexpectedly grounded long-term due to significant damage, schedules may need adjusting. Airline staff will have to be re-assigned and reserve planes potentially deployed to cover those flights. Then there are the knock-on impacts to air traffic control workload, gates, ground crews and more at multiple airports across the air transport network.
Any prolonged loss of service for the aircraft can strain thin operational margins and crew resources for carriers already struggling with periodic personnel shortages and the demand ramp-up from the COVID-19 pandemic travel restart. Significant repair expenses are also an unwelcome hit to the balance sheet for an industry just returning to profitability.
For passengers, such delays and cancellations are extremely frustrating disruptions after pandemic experiences like widespread flight grounding, route cancellations and related air travel woes over the past couple years. While airlines are required to rebook passengers on other flights or provide refunds when major delays or cancellations occur, the process itself is often an aggravation customers would rather avoid.
Aviation Safety Matters
While accidents involving two airplanes typically command headlines, the most concerning safety aspect may be that this particular incident happened during a ground operation when such collisions can potentially have even graver consequences.
Much of the air travel industry’s stellar safety record can be credited to stringent regulatory standards, robust training protocols, and a focus on reducing human errors in every phase of flight operations. But ramp accidents involving maintenance staff, ground crew, baggage vehicles and other support equipment are still relatively common at airports and can pose major risks for personnel and travelers.
“Ramp accidents, while notoccurrences that directly impact passengers, do lead to damage, injuries, and potential loss of life among those working at the airport,” notes the Federal Aviation Administration. “Identifying root causes and developing strategies to reduce these accidents has become a high priority for the FAA and the aviation industry.”
Even when injuries are avoided as in this Miami case, substantial aircraft damage from such collisions is extremely costly to repair and renders the planes unusable for extended periods – underscoring the broad operational and financial impacts of any aviation incident, regardless of severity.
The Miami collision also comes amid a year where ramp incidents appear on the rise compared to historical trends. According to available data, ramp accidents and safety incidents were up at many major U.S. airport hubs through the first half of 2022 versus previous years.
With the busiest summer travel season ahead and continued strains in resolving labor shortages, airline industry stakeholders will aim to mitigate future risks through enhanced training, safety audits and exploring ways to leverage airport infrastructure and technology that can provide better visibility and prevention of such accidents.
While noting the circumstances around Thursday’s mishap in Miami remain under investigation, the incident serves as a high-profile reminder about the persistent need for rigorous safety discipline during all aircraft operations – both in the air and on the ground.
