Planes damaged after airliners clip wings on JFK runway (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Passing EgyptAir and Virgin Atlantic planes packed with passengers clipped each other's wings while passing on the runway of New York's JFK Airport, causing severe damage to the latter aircraft.
The Virgin Atlantic Airlines Airbus A333 flight to London had pulled off to the right of the runway at JFK on Monday night to deal with a technical issue. A mere two minutes later, a passing Egypt Air Boeing 777 flight bound for Cairo clipped the Virgin plane’s left wing.
🇬🇧 The Virgin Atlantic aircraft is G-VRAY, an Airbus A330-300. https://t.co/MsYZIyE2yG#VS4🇪🇬 The EgyptAir aircraft is SU-GDL, a Boeing 777-300ER. https://t.co/9abvslZiAn#MS986pic.twitter.com/IYByuqvaJ4
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) November 28, 2017
Afterward, the Egypt Air plane returned to the terminal unassisted, while the Virgin flight needed to be towed. There were no reports of injuries on board either flight.
Nightmare currently waiting for tow truck!! After our wing crashed into another plane on runway! @VirginAtlantic feeling anxious 😟 pic.twitter.com/aH6p32LkX5
— Alison Beswick Smith (@alisonsmith1977) November 28, 2017
The FAA has launched an investigation into who was at fault for the collision. Air control recordings, published by ABC NY, show how the accident unrolled from the Virgin Atlantic plane’s point of view.
Was about to fly to London on Virgin Flight VS0004 out of JFK - during taxi to the runway we collided with an aircraft taxiing next to us clipping our left wing - that’s the ground crew taking photos of the debris from the other aircraft pic.twitter.com/s4wxpErbJc
— Diana S. Fleischman (@sentientist) November 28, 2017
VS4: "Uh Virgin 4-Charlie, we've got a technical issue at the moment...we're going to have to do some diagnosing."
Tower: "Virgin 4-Charlie-heavy, alright, disregard all that, pull off to the right, all the way to the right as far as you can on the run-up pad."
VS4: "Ground Virgin, uh 4-Charlie I think he just clipped our wing."
VS4: "We can confirm he has hit the left hand wing for the Virgin."
Tower: "All right hold position Virgin, 4-Charlie."
Was just about to take off the #vs4#virginatlantic flight to #londonheathrow when #egyptair “clipped” the wing!!!! pic.twitter.com/gQF2n8iSh0
— Kimberr🦄 (@kimberrrJ) November 28, 2017
A representative for Virgin wrote in a Twitter response to passengers: “Our VS4 flight sustained minor damage whilst taxiing at JFK earlier today. The safety of customers and crew is our priority and the flight has been delayed overnight to enable a full check to take place. We’d like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused by this.”