Two Southwest Airlines planes collided on the tarmac at T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island late Thursday night, the wing of Southwest Flight 3515 making contact with the tail of Southwest Flight 3409 as Flight 3515 pushed back onto the taxiway at around 10:45 PM.
Both planes returned to their gates. No injuries were reported. The FAA confirmed the incident and said it will investigate.
The detail that turned this from a routine tarmac incident into a widely shared story is how the crew found out.
Passengers on Flight 3515, which had already been delayed six hours, say they were the ones who noticed the collision happening and had to yell toward the cockpit before the flight deck became aware of the contact.
One passenger told NBC 10 he had been moved to a window seat on the half-empty plane and was watching the taxiway when he noticed the planes getting close.
He did not think they would actually make contact.
They did. He and other passengers alerted the crew. Both aircraft returned to their gates, passengers were deboarded and both flights were canceled and rescheduled.
A passenger on the flight posted to social media from the airport, "my flight was delayed like 6 hours and then they hit a PARKED plane trying to leave."
Southwest confirmed it is investigating and will inspect both aircraft before either returns to service.
"Nothing is more important to Southwest Airlines than the Safety of our Employees and our Customers," the carrier said in a statement.
T.F. Green referred media inquiries to Southwest. The FAA's investigation is ongoing.