Both Were Headed For De-Icing Area At Detroit Metro Airport

Two airliners at Detroit Metro Airport collided while taxiing to the de-icing area early Wednesday morning.

The wing of an American Airlines airliner struck the tail of a Southwest Airlines jet while the planes maneuvered on the ground. No one was injured.

American Airlines Passenger Jim Bishop told television station WWJ that the collision tore a piece of the wing off the plane he was aboard and cut the tail cone completely off the Southwest 737. The whole plane shook as a result of the collision, he said.

The crew did not inform the passengers what was happening until about 10 minutes after the collision, Bishop said. Passengers were held on the planes for about three hours while airport crews assessed the situation in the 25-degree outdoor temperatures. They were finally let off the planes at about 0900 local time.

The airlines tried to accommodate passengers on other flights, but many had already missed connections.

(Image posted to Twitter by user Carlos Salinas [@detroitdreamers])

FMI: www.ntsb.gov