Passengers on an American Eagle flight arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare airport got an unexpected jolt Wednesday when the right wing of a Boeing 747 cargo plane taxiing for departure clipped the tail of the commuter plane.
None of the 18 passengers and three crew members was injured, an American Eagle spokeswoman said.
American Eagle Flight 4265, an Embraer-140, had just arrived from Springfield, Missouri, and was taxiing to the gate when the incident occurred around 1 p.m. The 747 cargo plane involved in the collision, operated by EVA Airways, was heading to Anchorage, Alaska.
All passengers got off the smaller plane while officials inspected the damage to both, according to American Eagle spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan.
O’Hare airport is the sixth busiest passenger airport in the world, according to the latest data available from Airport Council International, a trade organization representing airports.
The Chicago Tribune reported last year that federal officials launched an investigation focused on O’Hare airport after numerous mistakes made by air traffic controllers. The paper said the majority of errors involved failing to keep proper distance between planes on the ground and in the air.
