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JetBlue planes collide on tarmac before taking off
An Orlando-bound JetBlue plane was struck on a tarmac in Boston by another plane.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Two outbound JetBlue planes collided on the tarmac at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday morning, briefly hindering travelers' plans to Orlando and Las Vegas, the airline and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed to FOX 35.
JetBlue Flight 777 to Las Vegas came into contact with JetBlue Flight 551 to Orlando on a nearby de-icing pad lane, the airline said in a statement. The de-icing pad lane is an area of the tarmac controlled by the airline, according to the FAA.
"It literally felt like, almost like an earthquake," passenger Chris McDonough told FOX 35.
Photo: Meghan Gavin
The left winglet of the Las Vegas-bound plane struck the right horizontal stabilizer of the Orlando-bound plane at around 6:40 a.m., the FAA said. This caused damage to the winglet of one aircraft and the tail section of the other, JetBlue said.
"There's a piece of plane laying on the ground out there. So it was kind of crazy," said passenger Kelly Ricard.
Photo: Chris McDonough
No injuries were reported by passengers or crew members on either flight, JetBlue said. Both aircrafts were taken out of service for repairs, and travelers will be put on other planes to Orlando and Las Vegas.
"This is not indicative of the FAA. This is not indicative of air traffic control," said aviation consultant Michael Boyd. "It’s indicative of very poor ground handling. It’s not something that’s running rampant throughout the industry. It’s a thing that happens as long as we have humans parking airplanes."
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"Safety is JetBlue’s priority, and we will work to determine how and why this incident occurred," JetBlue said in a statement.
The FAA will investigate.
Passengers on board the flight said JetBlue gave them gift certificates for the inconvenience.