Passenger Planes Need Repair After Clipping At Miami Airport Gate
MIAMI (CBSMiami) — It wasn't a scare in the air but a scare on the ground when a commercial airliner clipped another on the ground near a gate at Miami International Airport.
No one was hurt among the hundreds aboard the two aircraft but both planes are in need some serious repairs.
An Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A340 with 240 passengers onboard had part of a wing clipped off when it apparently struck an Air France Boeing 777. The Air France plane was still at the gate and preparing to depart with 350 passengers. It had damage to its tail section.
"We felt a tremor. Some cushions fell on her head," said Air France passenger Elias Vargas. "We were sitting there waiting for it to start then we felt the plane start to shake."
Teva Benshlomo was on the Air France flight, getting ready to take off to Paris.
"We felt this big boom, the plane was shaking," said Benshlomo. She's just one of the many passengers who want answers about the incident.
"I have no clue how they collided with our plane. Do you know? I mean, how does that happen?"
The NTSB said it is examining the damage to determine whether the incident merits a full accident investigation.
The FAA is investigating though the spokesperson said the incident happened in an area controlled by the airlines, not by air traffic control.
Some passengers are already pointing fingers at the ground crew.
"The guy with the red things, do her job, bad job, then we crash," said one passenger.
Benshlomo is just glad this accident wasn't worse.
"Fortunately it wasn't in mid-air and fortunately nobody was hurt and nobody panicked," said Benshlomo.
Passengers arriving from Argentina disembarked. The Air France passengers had to be re-booked on other flights and some folks missed their connections.
Airport managers said this has nothing to do with the airport itself and that it's up to the feds and the airlines. Air France confirms it is investigating. Aerolineas Argentinas has not commented just yet.
Meanwhile, the NTSB is
