2 United Airlines Planes Clip Wings at San Francisco Weeks After Similar Incident in Washington, D.C.

The incident occurred “in an area where air traffic controllers do not communicate with flight crews,” the FAA said in a statement shared with PEOPLE

United Airlines planes sit parked at the ga at San Francisco International Airport on April 24, 2025 in San Francisco, California.
Photo of two United Airlines planes at San Francisco International Airport.Credit : Justin Sullivan/Getty

Less than a month after two planes clipped wings at Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the same happened at California’s San Francisco International Airport.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that at about 12:35 a.m. local time on Tuesday, May 6, United Airlines Flight 863 was “pushing back from the gate at San Francisco International Airport [when] its right wingtip struck the left wingtip of United Airlines Flight 877.”

The incident occurred “in an area where air traffic controllers do not communicate with flight crews,” the FAA continued.

United Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft
Photo of a United Airlines plane.Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty

United Airlines Flight 863, with 202 people and 16 crew members onboard, was headed for Sydney, Australia, while United Flight 877, with 306 passengers and 16 crew members, was headed for Hong Kong, China.

The airline said in a statement shared with PEOPLE that no injuries occurred and passengers on both planes deplaned normally.

“We are working with our customers to rebook them on other flights,” United Airlines added.

The incident comes less than a month after two American Airlines planes clipped wings at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Exterior night view of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport DCA in Crystal City, Virginia, United States serving Washington, D.C.
Photo of the outside of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty

In a previous statement, the FAA confirmed that the “wingtip of American Airlines Flight 5490 struck American Airlines Flight 4522 on a taxiway” at the airport on April 10, at around 12:45 p.m. local time.

Flight 5490 was headed to Charleston International Airport in South Carolina, while Flight 4522 was headed to JFK International Airport in New York.

The flight to New York had at least five members of Congress on board — Rep. Nick LaLota, Rep. Grace Meng, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Rep. Ritchie Torres and Rep. Josh Gottheimer — who documented their experience on social media.

American Airlines Boeing 737
Photo of American Airlines plane outside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.Robert Alexander/Getty

While confirming that the incident took place, a representative for American Airlines said that both planes suffered damage to their “winglet” and had been taken out of service for inspection and maintenance.

“Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience,” the statement added.

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