Planes collide on Miami airport tarmac; 2 injured

Miami: A passenger aircraft operated by Copa Airlines and a UPS cargo plane collided on the tarmac of Miami International Airport in the United States, leaving two people with minor injuries and prompting a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation.

The Copa Airlines aircraft, carrying 166 passengers and six crew members from Panama City, had landed and was taxiing at normal speed. The UPS cargo plane was preparing to depart for Bogota, Colombia, when the collision occurred.

According to CNN, citing the FAA, air traffic controllers had clearly instructed the UPS crew to allow the approaching Copa aircraft to pass. However, preliminary findings and air traffic control recordings point to a possible failure in ground clearance procedures.

Audio recordings reveal the confusion immediately after the incident. While the control tower was checking whether the aircraft had collided, the Copa pilot alerted controllers that another plane had struck their aircraft. The UPS pilot acknowledged moving too far forward, causing its wing to hit the passenger plane. The Copa crew subsequently reported that the tip of its left wing appeared to have been torn off.

Copa Airlines expressed regret over the incident and said passenger and crew safety remained its priority. All 172 people aboard were safely evacuated after the aircraft was towed to a gate. UPS also confirmed that its employees were safe.

Both airlines pledged full cooperation with investigators to establish the cause of the collision.

The accident occurred exactly 24 hours after FAA-imposed restrictions disrupted flights across the US, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at airports amid widespread cancellations and rebooking delays.