ROMULUS, Mich. – A minor mishap at Detroit Metro Airport Wednesday morning had a major impact on many passengers’ travel plans.
It happened just before 6 a.m. when American Airlines flight 1241 was taxiing into a de-icing area.
The tip of the American Airlines plane scrapped the tail of a Southwest plane that was parked in the de-icing area.
Several passengers Local 4 spoke to said they could see the impact coming.
“We round the bend and there’s a plane before the plane we hit and we looked awfully close. I’m looking at the wing thinking, ‘We seem awfully close to the one plane. I sure hope, you know, come on, the pilot’s got to know we’ve got a really long arm, right?’ We missed the first plane. I thought, ‘OK, they know what they’re doing,’” American Airlines passenger Jill Abbott said. “And I just keep watching as we near this Southwest plane.”
Abbott said she knew her plane was in trouble when she started to see the curved portion of the wing tip crisscross with the Southwest plane’s tail tip.
“I realized what was happening and just watched it happen,” Abbott said. “I turned around to everybody because everybody’s feeling this weird shaking, and I said, ‘Oh, my God, you guys. We’re hitting another plane.’”
Both planes are Boeing 737s. No injuries were reported.
“The American Airlines pilot came on and said the Southwest pilot didn’t leave us enough room to pass by,” passenger Mark Palmer.
The passengers were on the plane for about two hours before they were taken off.
“Everybody was pretty light hearted about it, talking about the pilots getting off the planes and trading insurance. Things like that,” Palmer said.
Statement from Southwest Airlines:
Southwest Airlines flight 9 was in the process of being deiced this morning at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) when an aircraft belonging to another carrier came into contact with the Southwest aircraft’s tail area. There are no reports of injuries, and the Southwest aircraft is now out of service for maintenance. The flight was scheduled to operate from DTW to Dallas Love Field (DAL), and the Southwest Team is in the process of accommodating customers on alternate flights. We appreciate the patience of our customers as we work diligently to get them safely to their final destinations.