UPS cargo plane, Copa Airlines passenger jet collide at Miami airport, leaving 2 injured
A UPS cargo plane and a Copa Airlines passenger jet collided on the ground at Miami International Airport Saturday night, leaving two people with minor injuries.
The wingtip of a Copa Airlines Boeing 737 struck the nose of a UPS Boeing 767 while both aircraft were taxiing at Miami International Airport on Saturday night.
The collision occurred around 9 p.m. local time at the intersection of two taxiways, according to Greg Chin, the communications director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.
Two patients were treated on the scene by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue for minor injuries and did not require medical transport, Chin stated.
Flights are being directed to other taxiways, so there is no impact to airport operations at this time.
Collision details
Air traffic controllers had instructed the UPS crew to give way to the Copa Airlines flight, which was heading to its gate after landing, while the UPS cargo plane was preparing to depart for Bogotá, Colombia.
Somebody just hit us.
The FAA said it is investigating the collision. Air traffic control audio captured an exchange between pilots and a controller following the event.
UPS 358, did you hit that aircraft?
Yeah, we went too far and he clipped us with his wing.
Aircraft and passengers
Copa Airlines said Flight CM427, arriving from Panama City, Panama, was carrying 166 passengers and six crew members when the collision occurred.
The airline said the Boeing 737's left wingtip was involved in the collision with the cargo plane while both aircraft were taxiing.
All passengers disembarked at the terminal, with two receiving treatment for apparent minor injuries, the airline added.
UPS Airlines also acknowledged the incident in a statement posted on X.
Background and next steps
The collision came as U.S. airports continued recovering from Friday's nationwide Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop, which disrupted thousands of flights after radar and communications systems experienced instability.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that air traffic control communications had returned to full operations, while FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said airlines expected to restore their full schedules by the end of Sunday.
UPS stated that its crew is safe and that it is committed to working with authorities to determine what happened.
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