An American Airlines flight clipped the tail of a United Airlines plane on a taxiway at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The incident occurred around 9:50 a.m. when the wing tip of American Airlines Flight 1979, bound for Los Angeles, made contact with the tail of United Airlines Flight 219, which was preparing to depart for Honolulu.
No injuries were reported, and both aircraft were removed from service for inspection. Passengers on the United flight, which carried 293 passengers and 10 crew members, were transferred to a replacement plane and expected to depart later in the afternoon. American Airlines passengers deplaned normally and were scheduled to re-depart on a different aircraft.
“We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this caused,” American Airlines said in a statement. United Airlines confirmed the incident, stating that “another airline’s aircraft made contact with the tail cone of a stationary United plane while on the taxiway awaiting departure.”
The FAA is investigating the cause of the collision. Officials noted minimal impact to airfield operations. This incident follows 21 “runway incursions” at O’Hare in 2024, all categorized as low-risk. The last serious runway incursion at the airport occurred in 2015.