Obama's G-II Clips Caravan On Midway Ramp

Illinois Senator and presidential hopeful Barack Obama had just flown into Midway Airport from a long day of campaigning in Nevada, when the wing of his chartered plane clipped the wing of another plane parked nearby.

The Chicago Tribune reports the incident occurred at about 2:30 am Saturday morning as the Gulfstream II (file photo of type, above) taxied to park on the general aviation ramp near the south end of Midway. At the time, the jet was taxiing under its own discretion, no longer under air traffic control.

Senator Obama was on board, along with 12 other people, including the flight crew, staff members and his Secret Service detail.

FAA officials said the left wing of the Gulfstream II hit the right wing of an empty Cessna 208 parked on the ramp. Both aircraft sustained minor damage. There were no injuries.

“From what I know, no one on board felt it,” Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said. “It was just a matter of wings touching.”

LaBolt declined to identify the flight crew, but said the campaign had flown with them before.

According to Fox News, Obama told his Las Vegas audience that he couldn't answer every question because he had to get to the airport to fly home to Chicago.

"I’ve got one hour before I’ve got to get to the airport because my pilots -- they get cut off. They can’t fly out. In which case I’m in big trouble with my wife, because I’ve got to be home to be able to do something with the kids tomorrow," he explained.

This wasn't the first time Obama has had aircraft problems during his campaign for the White House. As ANN reported, last November Obama's plane accidentally landed in Des Moines, IA... about 150 miles west of its planned destination of Cedar Rapids, where he was to make a campaign appearance.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.flychicago.com/midway/MidwayHomepage.shtm, www.barackobama.com