Two Southwest 737 jets bumped wingtips as they were pushed back at the same time from gates at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank today.
Passengers tweeted that the contact was so gentle that many were unaware of it. No passengers were injured, an airport spokeswoman said.
The incident took place about 7:25 a.m. near gates A-1 and A-2, according to Bob Hope Airport Public Relations Manager Lucy Burghdorf.
“The Southwest jets were being pushed back into take-off position by a tow (motorized equipment), when they backed into each other,” Burghdorf said. “Both of the planes were departing at the time.’
A Southwest spokeswoman in Texas said Flight 4721 to Sacramento was in motion backwards, when its wingtip “made contact” with Flight 2183 to Phoenix. replica watches There were 101 passengers heading to Sacramento, and 114 heading to Arizona.
Burghdorf said that the NTSB has been notified of the incident and gave permission to have the planes moved to other gates.
“There were no injuries and all the passengers from both planes were taken off and brought back inside,” Burghdorf said.
Passengers shot video of the incident, which made its way to television newscasts within 90 minutes.
The planes were moved to gates A-6 and A-7, Burghdorf said. The incident will be investigated by the NTSB, she added.
The Southwest spokeswoman said an internal review was underway into the incident.
