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American and United planes collide during taxiing at Chicago O'Hare

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American and United planes collide during taxiing at Chicago O'Hare
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Simple Flying | Simple Flying

On January 8, a Boeing 737-800 from American Airlines and a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner from United Airlines collided at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The incident occurred while both aircraft were taxiing on different taxiways, as reported by CBS News citing the Federal Aviation Administration. The collision happened around 09:50 AM.

The American Airlines flight, AA1979, was scheduled to fly from Chicago O'Hare to Los Angeles International Airport. Meanwhile, the United Airlines flight, UA619, was set to travel from Chicago to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu.

American Airlines issued a statement regarding the incident: "During taxi-out at Chicago (ORD), American Airlines flight 1979, with service from ORD to Los Angeles (LAX), made contact with a nearby aircraft on the taxiway. Customers deplaned normally at the gate and departed on a replacement aircraft around 1 p.m. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this caused."

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No injuries were reported following the collision between the wing tip of the Boeing 737 and the tail of the United Dreamliner. Both airlines arranged alternative flights for their passengers due to delays caused by this incident.

The United Dreamliner involved is registered as N14016 and has been operating since December 2022. It has accumulated over 6,300 flight hours across more than 809 cycles as of April 2024. This aircraft can accommodate up to 318 passengers in four cabin classes.

The American Airlines Boeing 737-800 is registered as N988NN and has been in service since March 2016. As of July 2024, it had accumulated over 24,000 flight hours across more than 10,441 cycles. This plane can carry up to 172 passengers in three cabin classes.

Similar incidents have occurred recently at other airports. In November last year, an American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER clipped wings with a Frontier Airbus A321 at Boston Logan International Airport without any injuries reported. Another similar event took place in April when two United planes clipped wings at San Francisco International Airport.

Organizations Included in this History
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