Late last week, two JetBlue airplanes collided with one another on the Tarmac at Logan International Airport in Boston. Both airplanes were decently damaged, but no injuries were reported. The two planes, JetBlue Flight 777 and JetBlue Flight 551, were on two different de-icing pads to de-ice before takeoff. Flight 777 was heading for Las Vegas and Flight 551 was heading to Orlando. Flight 777 was entering its de-icing pad and, while doing so, its left winglet struck the right horizontal stabilizer on the tail of Flight 551.
The collision happened early Thursday morning, at around 6:40 a.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration is holding an investigation to look into the incident. They released the statement detailing the collision later that same day. JetBlue also released a statement in which they confirmed no passengers or crew members were harmed. In the statement, they also said “Safety is JetBlue’s priority, and we will work to determine how and why this incident occurred.”
One passenger who was on board of Flight 551 when the incident occurred spoke about her point of view of the collision. Casey Cunningham explained that she definitely felt the plane “jolt a little bit,” and that just afterwards the captain said into the intercom that they felt the jolt as well and would find out what occurred. Once the captain knew more about the incident, they updated the passengers to confirm that another aircraft struck them. Cunninham praised the staff onboard the plane for their good communication.
Shortly thereafter, the passengers boarded a different plane.
The incident surprisingly did not cause too significant of delays. The passengers quite swiftly deboarded, boarded a new plane, and took off not much later.
This accident happened amidst ongoing issues and complications with JetBlue’s attempts at acquiring Spirit Airlines. Just last month a federal judge blocked a multibillion-dollar attempt on JetBlue’s part. JetBlue is hoping to appeal the court’s decision, but they may simply have to back out, especially now with this collision affecting the press about the airline.
There is growing concern that this incident is indicative of even more than just one plane hitting another. Often accidents or near accidents suggest that the air safety system is under duress, suggesting possible issues for the planes and/or airline further down the line.