An Attempted Merger Of A Different Sort?

Northwest Airlines is investigating who screwed up in allowing two airliners to clip wings at a gate at Minneapolis St.-Paul International Airport Sunday evening.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports Northwest flight 45, an Airbus A330-300 arriving at around 1600 local time to gate G8 from Amsterdam, clipped the wing of another Northwest A330 sitting empty at gate G9.

Airport officials reported no injuries on either aircraft or on the ground.

Northwest Airlines spokeswoman Kristin Baur said the incident forced the 296 passengers arriving from Amsterdam to disembark onto the tarmac via a portable staircase instead of the jet bridge.

FOX-9 of Minneapolis reported the other plane, destined for Paris, was delayed two and a half hours due to the clipping.

Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Pat Hogan said both planes had some damage to the wing tip and that preliminary indications do not point to drugs, alcohol or weather as factors in the incident. Hogan said it appears the flight from Amsterdam was off-center when it was being guided into its gate.

Federal Aviation Administration was contacted according to Hogan, and federal authorities will decide whether the FAA or the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 819NW        Make/Model: A330      Description: A-330
  Date: 06/08/2008     Time: 2042

  Event Type: Incident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: MINNEAPOLIS   State: MN   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  N819NW, NORTHWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT 45, AN AIRBUS 330-323 AIRCRAFT, UPON
  PULLING INTO THE GATE THE WINGTIP STRUCK A PARKED AIRCRAFT,  NO INJURIES
  REPORTED, DAMAGE NOT REPORTED, MINNEAPOLIS, MN

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: 1853Z 19004KT 10SM SCT029 23/17 A2967

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Business      Phase: Taxi      Operation: Air Carrier

  FAA FSDO: MINNEAPOLIS, MN  (GL15)               Entry date: 06/09/2008

FMI: www.nwa.com, www.faa.gov