On a Saturday night in mid-November, two aircraft that had been doing the ordinary work of moving through a busy airport met at a crossing point on a taxiway at Miami International, and one wing touched the nose of another. The human record of the moment is small and plain: a pilot reporting an impact, a controller asking what happened, and a cargo pilot admitting in the open air of the radio that they had gone too far. Nobody was hurt, and the airport kept its traffic moving around the damage. What the collision means, and why it happened, now belongs to the slower work of investigators, who
UPS Cargo Jet and Copa Airlines Plane Collide on Taxiway at Miami International, No Injuries Reported
"Somebody just hit us."
On a Saturday night in mid-November, two aircraft that had been doing the ordinary work of moving through a busy airport met at a crossing point on a taxiway at Miami International, and one wing touched the nose of another. The human record of the moment is small and plain: a pilot reporting an impact, a controller asking what happened, and a cargo pilot admitting in the open air of the radio that they had gone too far. Nobody was hurt, and the airport kept its traffic moving around the damage. What the collision means, and why it happened, now belongs to the slower work of investigators, who will turn a brief radio exchange into a fuller account.
Shortly after 9:15 on Saturday night, a Copa Airlines jet that had just arrived from Panama City was rolling along a taxiway at Miami International Airport when something hit it. The pilot's radio call was short and blunt: somebody just hit us.
The aircraft that struck it was UPS Flight 358, a cargo jet bound for Bogota, Colombia. The two planes met where two taxiways cross, and the Copa jet's wing struck the nose of the UPS aircraft.
Air traffic audio captures what came next. The controller asked the UPS crew directly whether they had hit the other plane. The cargo pilot answered plainly, saying they had gone too far and that the Copa jet had clipped them with its wing. That exchange is the only account of cause so far, and it comes from the moment itself, not from any investigation.
No injuries were reported. Miami International's communications director said flights were being directed onto other taxiways and that operations were not affected at that time. The airport had not answered a request for comment from The Post.
The collision came a day after a national aviation ground stop on Friday, but it is unclear whether the two are connected, and no source links them. What remains open is the formal cause, the extent of the damage, and whether either plane was pulled from service. Those answers will come from the investigation that usually follows a ground collision like this one. For now, the record is a pilot's call, a controller's question, and a promise that everyone walked away unhurt.
Shortly after 9:15 on Saturday night, a Copa Airlines jet that had just flown in from Panama City was moving along a taxiway at Miami International Airport when something struck it. The pilot came on the radio with a short, blunt report: somebody just hit us.
According to the reporting, the aircraft that hit the Copa plane was UPS Flight 358, a cargo jet bound for Bogota, Colombia. The two planes met at the intersection of two taxiways. The account describes the Copa jet's wing hitting the nose of the UPS aircraft.
Audio from air traffic control captures the exchange that followed. The controller asked the UPS crew directly: "UPS 358, did you hit that aircraft?" The cargo pilot answered plainly, saying they had gone too far and that the other plane had clipped them with its wing. That recorded statement is the only account of cause so far, and it comes from the pilot in the moment rather than from any investigation.
No injuries were reported. Greg Chin, communications director for Miami International, gave a statement to CBS News saying that flights were being directed onto other taxiways and that there was no impact to airport operations at that time. The airport did not immediately answer a request for comment from The Post.
The collision came a day after a national aviation ground stop on Friday. The reporting says it was not clear whether the incident had anything to do with any lingering effects of that stoppage, and no source ties the two together. The Post described the story as developing.
What remains unanswered is the formal cause. The reporting does not say how much damage either aircraft sustained, how many people were aboard the Copa flight, or whether the aircraft were taken out of service. Those details, and any federal findings, would come from the investigation that typically follows a ground collision of this kind. For now, the record is a pilot's radio call, a controller's question, and an airport statement that everyone was unhurt and traffic kept moving.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
There are no reported injuries and flights are being directed to other taxiways, so there is no impact to airport operations at this time.— Greg Chin, communications director, Miami International Airport
The UPS pilot said on air traffic audio that they went too far and the other plane clipped them with its wing.— UPS Flight 358 pilot, per ATC audio
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