Logan International Airport in Boston faced an unusual situation with not one, but two planes colliding in separate incidents within hours on the same day. Massport officials confirmed that a tug vehicle, while towing an empty JetBlue aircraft, struck the rear of a Cape Air plane at a "slow rate of Speed.," as per Boston 25 News. This incident, coupled with an earlier collision involving a stationary Frontier Airlines Airbus and a taxiing American Airlines Boeing 777, has put airport safety under scrutiny.
In the later incident reported by Boston 25 News, the Cape Air flight, carrying three passengers and a two crew members, experienced a jolt when the JetBlue vehicle made contact. While no passengers reported injuries, the two pilots were taken to a hospital as a precaution. A JetBlue spokesperson assured that "Safety is JetBlue’s first priority," and pledged a full investigation into the matter.
Earlier in the day, an American Airlines flight arriving from London Heathrow brushed against the wingtip of an awaiting Frontier Airlines plane, as confirmed by officials to The Boston Globe. The impact was seemingly minor with no injuries reported, but it mandated that both planes be taken out of service for inspection and caused the cancellation of the Frontier flight bound for Dallas-Fort Worth.
"The aircraft has been removed from service for inspection by our maintenance team," a spokesperson for American Airlines told The Boston Globe, expressing apologies to their customers. Correspondingly, the Federal Aviation Administration has stated that it will investigate this incident. The day's events follow a prior wing-clipping at Logan earlier this year, adding to a series of similar mishaps that have occurred nationally.
While the immediate consequences of these accidents seem minimal with regards to passenger safety, the frequency of such encounters highlights potential gaps in ground traffic control and airport operational safety. These consecutive incidents serve to remind that even the seemingly routine tugs and taxiing of aircraft carry their own risks, risks that are often overlooked until the moment of impact. As investigations commence, the aviation industry looks on, hoping to learn and implement strategies to prevent such occurrences in future.
