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Southwest and FedEx planes bump wings
A Southwest Airlines jet bound for Albuquerque clipped wings with a Fed Ex cargo jet Sunday at the Salt Lake City Airport. A spokesperson for Southwest said the jet was about to pull back from the gate when it was bumped by the cargo plane. The pilots had not yet started the engine when they felt the "jolt" of the impact, which sliced off a 6-foot section of the plane's wingtip. No one was injured, though there was some initial confusion as to what caused what one passenger said felt like "a mini-earthquake". The passengers were able to move to another plane for take off; the affected jet was repaired and put back in service.
While on the ground collisions between planes are rare, they do happen. A different Southwest plane clipped another passenger jet with its wing back in March.
Filed under: North America, United States, Airlines, Transportation, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
guy Dec 2nd 2009 8:09PM
"sliced off a 6 foot section of wingtip" - "the affected jet was repaired and put back into service". Uhhhhh..., this just happened. What'd they do, just slap the outer 15% of the wing back on and duct tape it in place? The idiots that write these articles are certifiably stupid.
olehippi Dec 2nd 2009 9:21PM
Duct tape......
Vin Dec 2nd 2009 9:48PM
No. They used Gorilla tape. Much stronger.
Harold Dec 2nd 2009 10:10PM
If you do not know what you are talking about, shut your mouth!! A Good "Airframe Mechanic" can repair a damaged wing depending on the damage and type of wing and were the damage is dummy! For your information a "plastic water bottle" , "duct tape", and "speed tape" repaired a DC-9 Navy aircraft wing leading edge just before the 2nd Iraqi war after a "bird strike". Know what you are talking about before you open your mouth!
Quality Control Inspector and A&P Mechanic Harold.
n Patel Dec 2nd 2009 10:48PM
Good reply Harold. I'm and engineer too. I understand where you are coming from. You gotta remember most people have no clue on anything when it comes to engineering. Let them make their scared ludicrous statements then people like you and me can just laugh at them and get them on their way.
flirtyflyer Dec 2nd 2009 11:57PM
Actaully...they probably DID fix the aircraft with duct tape. Not actual duck tape but what is known in the business as speed tape. Virtually the same thing only designed to withstand harsher conditions and very high wind speeds without peeling. I've been in the avaition business for over a decade and they "fix" planes like that all the time! So YES...if it was back in service that same day they most likely "fixed" it with speed tape.
eliot gross Dec 3rd 2009 3:00AM
It was the winglett that got knocked off. They are just bolted on the end of the wing. All they had to do was put another one on. Careful who you call "idiot". You might be better off looking in the mirror.
carol Dec 2nd 2009 8:38PM
I love SOUTHWEST only airline I will fly!!!!!!!
drunkpilot Dec 2nd 2009 9:45PM
I'll never in a million years understand how pilots can apparently NOT see something as large as a nearby airplane.
K.T. Dec 2nd 2009 9:53PM
JADED, UNDER PAID, OVER HOURED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thomas Dec 2nd 2009 11:35PM
Obviously you have never hit anything with the side mirror with you auto. Your name suggest your a pilot. You must know how hard it can be to judge your wing span? What if thought he had it cleared and then his attention was turned to something else? Just a mistake, a bad day, ever had one?
Marshall Dec 2nd 2009 9:52PM
Wait a minute here, aren't there supposed to be ground crew workers who are
on the look out for possible passing aircraft behind the jetliner as it is being pushed
back from a gate stand? Sounds to me like the 737 push back was done in haste.
Too much pressure to get out onto the taxiway and get airborne to make money? Also, there should be a ground crew agent who is hooked up to the side of the 737
aircraft by means of a wire for which pilots and the ground agent can talk. This agent
should tell the pilots if there is a clearance space behind their aircraft . So,let me get
this straight, a cargo plane just taxies right behind the 737 being pushed back without
any warning at all? I know the Salt Lake City Int'l Airport ramp areas. It can be a busy
airport during banks of connecting flights at certain times of the day. I am interested to
know what made the cargo jet pilots decide to taxi right behind the Southwest Airlines
737 as it was being pushed back from its gate position.
dennis Dec 2nd 2009 9:58PM
You can replace a wing tip in 4 hours been their done that,and bags fly free.....................
Bob Dec 2nd 2009 10:28PM
Airplanes are greatly over engineered. This is to give them a large safety margin. For examples, just look at pictures of war birds with huge sections missing.
Another thing. Why do we complain about a little bump in the sky and pay to ride a rollercoaster? That is all I have to say about that!
mezl Dec 2nd 2009 10:45PM
may be the cargo plane was getting back at south west for the first incident, when the south west plane clipped the passenger plane as reported at the bottom of the article. be prepared for- PLANE WARS- the movie, coming out later this year. it's a don't miss hit of the year!!!! starring Tom Cruise as the vengeful cargo plane pilot..... and his co captain, Xenu, who was released from his mountain trap.....
G Dec 2nd 2009 11:54PM
All the quick fixes in the world are great in the heat of battle but any airline repair has to pass the FAA inspection. Also, don't forget to board SW early at a $25 fee. Unforutnately, every airline has fees, and this is just one example there are more but they will not tell they just blame the other airlines and most people believe it. Not so!
CW Dec 2nd 2009 11:56PM
Those aircraft are restricted to round trips due to one wing producing more lift will keep it in a turn...
G Dec 3rd 2009 12:00AM
Good question for the Ground Controller. Could be that the GC told Sw to hold for traffic but SW decided to push anyway. At Dulles, a people mover that I was on had to slam on its brakes throwing the passengers forward because a SW jet pushed right out in front of the people mover. Haste makes waste!
Dennis Samson Dec 3rd 2009 1:18AM
The bias of the writer, Katie Hammel, is breathtaking!!! What has she got against Southwest? She smears their good name by citing "another" Southwest plane that hit "another" plane in March. Yet, in this incident she reports the Southwest plane was hit by the cargo plane before the Southwest plane had left the gate, and even before the pilot had started the engines! From her own description it seems the fault is with the cargo plane, but she shamelessly blames Southwest and re-inforces her bias with another alleged incident. Katie, go on home, you give women a bad name.
naed Dec 3rd 2009 1:54AM
Wow! Some people sure are touchy about comments that are just made to be mildly amusing. If that's the paranoia and frustration that occurs among maintenance crews of aircraft, one must reconsider how safe it is to fly. There are people on the edge everywhere.