United Ground Collision at O’Hare Airport Leaves 747 with Split Hull, Pierced Bulkhead

A United Boeing 747 parked at O’ Hare International Airport was seriously damaged by the wing of an aircraft being towed for maintenance.

Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg News reported that a collision in July between two United Airlines aircraft at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) resulted in nearly $4 million in damage to a Boeing 747 used by the airline primarily for charter flights. The jumbo jet is said to have suffered a punctured bulkhead and a damaged nosecone. The mangled aircraft, which was parked and unoccupied, was clipped by a Boeing 777 being towed to the maintenance hangar. The 777 was also damaged, but it has since been repaired and returned to service. The collision is said to have occurred away from the terminal area and near United’s hangar at ORD, which is the second-busiest airport in the United States and United’s second-largest hub.

According to sources cited in the Bloomberg report, the 747 is still undergoing repairs by Boeing and will be grounded for weeks.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that incidents of ground damage to aircraft worldwide cost the airline industry upwards of $12 billion per year. The trade association, which United is a member of, launched the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) in 2010 with the goal of decreasing such incidents. The IATA credits the ISAGO for a steady decrease in hull loss accidents in which aircraft are destroyed or substantially damaged while on the ground.

[Photo: United Airlines]